BJP MPs seek implementation of Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Odisha

New Delhi, Aug 10: The BJP MPs from Odisha on Tuesday requested Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for implementation of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the state. In a letter, the MPs sought the Minister’s personal intervention for the implementation of AB-PMJAY in Odisha. They said that even after 3 years since the launch of the scheme, Odisha remains one of the few states where the State Government has not implemented it thereby depriving almost 60 lakh needy beneficiaries from availing of this pro-poor healthcare service. The Economic Survey of India 2020-21 notes significant differences across states which have implemented AB-PMJAY and those which have not, the MPs informed. They mentioned that most districts in Odisha are lacking basic healthcare infrastructure, and the state lacks trained professionals for managing tertiary health care facilities. “While AB-PMJAY has pan-India portability and can be used by Odia migrant workers at their place of work, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, being implemented by the state government, is mostly restricted to facilities within the state thereby restricting usage by migrant workers at their place of work as well as denying the choice of availing better healthcare options available to people of Odisha, outside the State,” they said. The BJP MPs said Ayushman Bharat, the world's largest healthcare programme is a game-changer and an opportunity to serve the poor. “In the larger interest of people of Odisha, especially the state's huge migrant worker population who are unable to utilize state-sponsored health care scheme at their place of work, and in preparation for the 3rd wave of Covid-19 pandemic, we call upon your personal intervention for directing state government of Odisha for taking necessary actions to implement the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in Odisha at the earliest,” they demanded.