Health packages focused on elderly care likely to be added to AB-PMJAY

New Delhi: The National Health Authority, the implementing agency for the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), is assessing the need to add more health packages catering to the elderly as the government is set to roll out the health coverage for all aged 70 years and above.

The expanded scheme, which will benefit an estimated six crore citizens in about 4.5 crore households, is likely to be launched by the end of this month, official sources said. “The committee which decides on health-benefit packages under the scheme is deliberating on the need for adding more health packages, which exclusively tend to geriatric care, as the number of such beneficiaries will go up with the launch of the scheme,” an official source said.

The scheme presently offers a comprehensive coverage that includes 1,949 medical procedures across 27 medical specialties, such as general medicine, surgery, oncology and cardiology. Hospital services, including drugs (covering 15 days’ medication post-discharge), diagnostics (up to three days before admission), food and lodging, are provided at no cost to the beneficiaries.

“The admissions necessitated due to certain mental-health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, are also covered under the current scheme,” the source said. Be it the poor, middle class, upper-middle class or rich, every individual aged 70 years or above is eligible to receive the Ayushman card and free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh at any of the AB-PMJAY-empanelled hospital once the expanded scheme is launched.

Till September 1, a total of 29,648 hospitals, including 12,696 private ones, were empanelled under the scheme, which is currently being implemented in 33 states and Union territories, except for Delhi, Odisha and West Bengal.

Anyone aged 70 or above according to the person’s Aadhaar card will be eligible for applying under the scheme, another official source said. It is an application-based scheme and people will need to register on the PMJAY portal or the Ayushman app, the sources said.