Delhi cabinet gives nod to Ayushman Bharat scheme, to table CAG reports in Assembly

Rekha Gupta

Hours after being sworn in as the new Delhi chief minister, Rekha Gupta along with her six cabinet colleagues gave nod to Centre's ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme, reported News18. The channel also reported that the cabinet decided to table 14 CAG reports in the Assembly.

The new CM hit the ground running on her first day in office as she assumed charge within hours of taking oath on Thursday. She attended the Yamuna aarti, alloted  berths to her six cabinet colleagues and chaired her maiden cabinet meeting.

According to multiple media reports, health department is also expected to lay a plan to upgrade existing Mohalla Clinics into Urban Arogya Ayushman Mandirs under the Ayushman Bharat Infrastructure Mission Scheme (PM-BHIM). The target is to establish 1,139 such centres, including the conversion of 553 existing Mohalla Clinics and the construction of 413 new ones.

The BJP’s Ayushman Bharat program aims to provide comprehensive healthcare, encompassing preventive, curative, and palliative aspects. This is achieved through Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) at the grassroots level and financial aid for treatments at higher levels, involving both public and private healthcare providers.

Ayushman Bharat’s two-pronged approach involves establishing 150,000 HWCs for accessible primary care, including maternal, child, and non-communicable disease services, along with free essential medicines and diagnostics. The Prime Minister inaugurated the first HWC in Jangla, Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, on April 14, 2018.

The second component, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), offers financial protection for secondary and tertiary care to underprivileged families. HWCs play a crucial role in raising awareness about PMJAY, screening for non-communicable diseases, and monitoring patients post-hospitalization.