The Chandigarh Health Department has registered 8,000 citizens above 70 years of age for the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme, which provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalizations. The central government approved the extension of the scheme in September.
“In Chandigarh, we have about 40,000 senior citizens and we have so far registered about 8,000 citizens above the age of 70,” said Director of Health Services Dr Suman Singh. “The needs of this age group are different, requiring special care due to age-related health conditions, risk of chronic diseases and high medical costs.”
Stating that the UT Health Department has started the process of making cards for senior citizens in Chandigarh, Dr Singh said, “The card can be made by downloading the Ayushman app, searching your name in the list, filling Aadhaar KYC and downloading it yourself. card.”
“To avail the benefit of the scheme, the beneficiary should not be availing free healthcare services under any other scheme subsidized by the government. All our hospitals and government dispensaries also have a system for making cards. To facilitate this process, 27 camps have been planned across the city, said Dr Singh.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 75 percent of senior citizens have one or more chronic diseases, 40 percent have one or another disability and one in four have multiple diseases, with hospitalization rates rising among the 70-year-olds. and about 11.1 percent of the population above.
At the Government Multi Specialty Hospital in Sector 16, doctors from the Department of Orthopedics have performed many knee replacement surgeries under the AB PM-JAY scheme.
According to Dr. Singh, citizens can use this card in government hospitals and private hospitals in the panel across the country.
“We have been able to cover a large population below the poverty line under the scheme, 70 per cent ration card holders are also covered and 8,000 packages are available under the scheme. We now have Ayushman Mitras who will guide patients. The process is simple: the patient comes to the hospital, the friends write the category in the file, and then tests, drugs, admission, etc., including certification, treatment estimation, etc. can be done. On our behalf,’ said Dr. Singh.
Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh has treated more than 1.25 lakh patients, providing complex treatments like cancer therapy, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery and kidney transplant – all free under the scheme. . Reducing the financial burden on the family, more than 100 kidney transplants have been done free of charge.
In 2023-24 alone, PGI treated 32,000 Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries, amounting to over Rs 130 crore in medical services.
Professor Vivel Lal, Director, PGI noted, “PGI leads all Union Territories in healthcare under Ayushman Bharat.”
Dr. Navin Pandey of PGI’s hospital administration department said, “Citizens above 70 years of age have started coming to the institute for treatment under the new scheme, though the number is still small. “People can generate cards at home using the app. We also help here, if needed. The maximum number of people using the facility are from Punjab – about 50 per cent – and the rest from Haryana, Himachal, Chandigarh, Bihar, etc. We have systems in place for all beneficiaries as there is no need for a separate system or process for people above 70 years,” added Dr Pandey.