President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday declared that all citizens aged above 70 years will be provided 'free treatment' under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.
Murmu while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament also mentioned that 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras will be opened in the country soon.
Under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), free health services are being provided to 55 crore beneficiaries, Murmu said.
"Further, the Government is going to take yet another decision in this area. Now all the elderly above 70 years of age will also be covered and get the benefit of free treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana," the President said.
Murmu mentioned that India is contributing to global health by promoting AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy).
She highlighted the recent worldwide celebration of the International Day of Yoga.
"The prestige of this great legacy of the country is continuously rising in the world. By promoting yoga and AYUSH, India is helping create a healthy world,” the President said.
Today, India is emerging as a leader in every sector from IT to Tourism and from Health to Wellness, she stated.
The AB-PMJAY is the world's largest publicly funded health insurance scheme and aims to offer Rs 5 lakh per year per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore families.
The Hospital Empanelment and Management (HEM) guidelines require State Health Agencies (SHAs) to be responsible for empanelling hospitals under AB-PMJAY.
