TheTelangana government decided to implementAyushman Bharatin the state with immediate effect, almost two-and-half-years after the Centre launched the Health scheme nationally.
health officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with thenational health authorityon Tuesday to implement the scheme in the state. The state health authorities have directed the chief executive officer ofTelanganaAarogyasri Health Care Trust to see that patients get treatment in the empanelled hospitals as per the newly converged health scheme.
Ayushman Bharat was launched by the Centre in September 2018. Telangana was among the states that had opposed the scheme and even claimed that its own Aarogyasri scheme was much better. Chief ministerK Chandrasekhar Raohad rejected the national scheme on the floor of the assembly.
Officials claimed that Aarogyasri provided coverage for 949 different treatment modalities. The scheme provides Insurance coverage to each family from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 13 lakh and in some specialised therapies, there is no cap on the cost of treatment. The cap is Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat.