(HT)
Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said MLAs have been told to help people acquire Ayushman cards in their respective constituencies. Gupta’s remarks came after a high level meeting with ministers in the Delhi Secretariat to accelerate Ayushman card distribution.
“At least 169,000 cards have been issued and are now to be distributed. Public representatives have been urged to assist in this distribution, which will be carried out through district-level mechanisms. All the MLAs have been tasked with helping people in their areas get the cards. Work should start immediately to identify the location of 1,139 Arogya Mandirs to be opened in every corner of Delhi because Delhi has suffered a lot due to the time wasted by the previous governments… We do not want more time to be wasted. Our government will start working on this from today itself…” Gupta said after the meeting.
The Centre’s flagship health care scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), was rolled out in Delhi on April 10. The cards were distributed at Vigyan Bhawan following the signing of an MoU between the Delhi government and the Union health ministry.
The programme provides ₹5 lakh in annual health coverage per family for secondary and tertiary hospital care for economically weaker sections.
Gupta said that the special focus will be on citizens aged 70 years and above, adding that this age group needs healthcare the most. Gupta also said that “Vay Vandana Yojana” will soon be implemented in Delhi, benefiting hundreds of thousands of senior citizens. Gupta also said that 1,139 Arogya Mandirs will be established across Delhi, with 14–15 centres in each assembly constituency.
