Gujarat families avoid medical debt as ‘Ayushman Bharat’ covers costs

Rajkot, Nov 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two families in Gujarat have been able to avoid substantial medical expenses through the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme, which covered the cost of surgeries and treatment that they said would otherwise have forced them to borrow money at interest.

Jayantibhai Vadakia, a resident of Dharampur village in Chotila taluka, was suffering from kidney stones in both kidneys.

His family's financial condition did not allow him to bear the cost of the operations. He subsequently underwent surgeries on both kidneys free of cost at Doshi Hospital in Rajkot district using his Ayushman Bharat card.

The hospital also provided him with travel assistance of Rs 300 on two occasions.

Recalling his experience, Vadakia said that without the health insurance card, he would have been forced to borrow money at interest to pay for the operations and could have fallen into debt.

"If we did not have the Ayushman card, we would have had to borrow money at interest for the operations. However, because of this scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our treatment was completely free. The facilities here are very good. This scheme is very helpful for poor and middle-class families," he said.

In another case, the scheme helped a family meet the medical expenses of treating a tumour near the urinary bladder of Laxmanbhai.

His son, Kanabhai, said doctors had estimated the cost of the operation and treatment at around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000, which was covered through the Ayushman card.

Kanabhai said his family would otherwise have had to borrow the money or take a loan at interest to meet the expenses.

"My father underwent a urinary bladder surgery. The cost of the operation and treatment was around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000, which was covered through the Ayushman card. Without the card, we would have had to arrange the money either by borrowing or taking a loan at interest. This scheme is very helpful for small and poor families. The government has done good work for people from weaker sections," he said.

Both beneficiaries said the scheme had helped their families access medical treatment without having to bear expenses that were beyond their financial means.

Under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Mukhyamantri Amrutam (PMJAY-MA) scheme in Gujarat, eligible families are entitled to cashless medical treatment worth up to Rs 10 lakh annually.

The state government doubled the coverage from Rs five lakh to Rs 10 lakh in July 2023. The scheme covers secondary and tertiary hospitalisation at empanelled government and private hospitals.

It also provides coverage for pre-existing conditions from the first day, without restrictions on family size or age.

Source: IANS