It’s an unfortunate fact that a large segment of India’s population still belongs to the financially weaker section. Poverty has been a major concern faced by the country for the longest time. Therefore, the Government of India has taken several initiatives to enhance the quality of life of the families living below the poverty line. One such initiative is the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, launched on 23rd September 2018. It is also known as the PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). It is the world’s largest health insurance scheme that aims at providing healthcare facilities to the underprivileged people across the country. As a part of this scheme, the financially deprived families across the country can avail a health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per annum. The beneficiaries of this scheme are selected on the basis of the database provided by the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011.
Let us have a look at how the beneficiaries can apply for the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
Step 1: Check the Eligibility
- Ayushman Bharat Yojana is an entitlement-based scheme and hence it does not involve any registration process. Therefore, the families eligible for PMJAY scheme according to SECC 2011 database can avail cashless treatment in both private as well as government hospitals.
- Beneficiaries can check their eligibility online by visiting the website mera.pmjay.gov.in. They can also check their eligibility by calling the call centre number 14555 of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
Step 2: Patient Card Generation
- Once the beneficiaries have confirmed their eligibility, they will be directed to the PMJAY Kiosk where the Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitra (PMAM) will verify the beneficiary’s identity and eligibility with the help of Beneficiary Identification System (BIS).
- After successful verification, the beneficiaries are issued an e-card, with the help of which they can avail cashless treatment at any of the empaneled hospitals.
Step 3: Treatment of the beneficiary
- Depending upon the severity of the illness, the doctor either prescribes medicines or suggests hospitalization to the beneficiary.
- It is to be noted that if the beneficiaries are not hospitalized and general medicines are given, then they will have to pay the relevant consultation and drug charges.
- Whereas, if the beneficiaries are hospitalized, they can avail the diagnostic facility with any of the empaneled hospitals.
- On completion of the treatment, the beneficiaries are ready to be discharged.
Another major advantage of the Ayushman Bharat Yojna is that it also covers pre-existing illness. Knowing the application process can help the underprivileged avail maximum health insurance benefits from the scheme. To sum it up, the PMJAY scheme is a great initiative to improve the quality of life of the families living below the poverty line.
