Modicare to be launched on 25 September.

10 crore family will get Rs 5 lakh health insurance, hospitals to be built in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Ayushman Bharat, the National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) or Modicare, will be launched on September 25 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Wednesday in his Independence Day Speech.

“The scheme will be launched on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay. Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan, 10 crore family will get Rs 5 lakh health insurance. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan will also lead to employment,” said the Prime Minister.

Many hospitals will be built in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, he said adding that it is high time we ensure that the poor of India get access to good quality and affordable healthcare.

Emphasising the healthcare initiatives of his government, Modi said that the efforts will have a positive impact on 50 crore Indians. “It is essential to ensure that we free the poor of India from the clutches of poverty due to which they cannot afford healthcare,” Modi said.

“Due to the Swachh Bharat mission, lakhs of children can lead healthier lives. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) has praised this movement,” he said.

In his speech on Independence Day, the Prime Minister also talked about malnutrition among children. “I want that children in my country become free of malnutrition and all poor people get quality and affordable healthcare,” Modi said.

The national health insurance scheme will be implemented through over 300,000 common service centers (CSCs) across the country. CSCs are access points with basic computing infrastructure run and operated by a local entrepreneur. These centres will help beneficiaries to identify their names in the ministry of health database and their entitlements under the scheme.

Currently, 28 states are on board for inclusion in the AB- NHPM Scheme while 8 states have yet to join. At the national level, all guidelines covering the scheme are in place and the IT backbone has been prepared. Flexibility has been accorded to states with regard to coverage, cost and the insurance model.

AB-NHPM, popularly known as ‘Modicare’ and billed as the world’s largest health assurance scheme, will provide Rs 5 lakh insurance cover, per family per year, to over 1 million poor households, or 50 million people based on the socio-economic caste census, for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. (Source: Livemint)