Bhubaneswar: An 84-year-old senior citizen from Khordha district has credited the Ayushman Bharat health card for saving his life. After experiencing chest pain, Viswanath Sethi, underwent two stent placements in Manipal Hospital in Bhubaneswar, with the entire cost of over Rs 3 lakh covered by the scheme.
Sethi’s son Binayak praises Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative, saying it gave his father a new lease on life. The family didn’t have to spend a single rupee, thanks to the Ayushman Bharat card.
This is just one example of the scheme’s impact. Over 6.33 lakh senior citizens have joined the Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana in the last 7 months. The scheme provides free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per annum to senior citizens above 70 years in 751 registered private hospitals in Odisha and 30,000 outside the state.
To date, 14,191 senior citizens have undergone over 20,000 treatments in registered hospitals. Sethi’s story echoes the sentiments of many, grateful for the government’s initiative in ensuring healthcare access to the elderly.
