New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday decided to include beneficiaries of the financial assistance scheme for widows and persons with disabilities under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. A Delhi Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta decided to bring around 3.97 lakh widows and 1.31 lakh Divyangs under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Their family members will also be eligible for benefits under the scheme. Gupta said that around 5.5 lakh families in Delhi receive benefits from the “Ayushman Bharat” scheme. She further said that after this decision, about 550,000 families will get strong health protection. These households exclude those covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PRS) categories, senior citizens above 70 years of age, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and Anganwadi workers and aides. She reiterated the government’s strong commitment to ensure that no poor, vulnerable or needy citizen of Delhi is deprived of healthcare services due to financial constraints. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is the largest health protection scheme in the country and the Delhi government has taken important steps to make it more effective and inclusive, the statement said. The Chief Minister stressed that the government’s goal is clear: no eligible citizen should be deprived of quality and affordable healthcare. Chief Minister Gupta said that 7,23,707 Ayushmann cards have been issued in Delhi so far, including 2,74,620 cards to senior citizens. For effective implementation of the scheme in the national capital, a network of 208 hospitals, including 156 private and 53 government hospitals, has been established. So far, more than 29,120 beneficiaries have been treated under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) through the State Health Authority (SHA), Delhi. Gupta said this was not just an administrative decision but a commitment to the health and dignity of every poor family in Delhi.
