Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate a Ayurvedic and Naturopathy Hospital, spread over 21 acres in Odisha’s Jatni, via video conferencing on the occasion of the National Ayurveda Day on October 29, Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling said on Sunday.
Mahaling further said that the Prime Minister will also inaugurate a Central Drugs Testing Laboratory of eastern zone at Gothapatna and a critical healthcare unit in Bargarh.
In addition, Modi will roll out health coverage for all citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of their income status under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and the beneficiaries will receive free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh at any of the AB PMJAY empanelled hospitals.
It is worth mentioning here that the the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme was not implemented in Odisha. Now, the Prime Minister is likely to launch the expanded scheme under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme for people aged 70 years and above. It will benefit an estimated six crore citizens in about 4.5 crore households.
However, those already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) may either choose their existing scheme or opt for AB PM-JAY.
