OdishaPlus Bureau
The Naveen Patnaik government which had firmly opposed the Centre’s flagship health programme Ayushman Bharat (AB) before the Lok Sabha elections seems to have given it a second thought. The Odisha government wants to examine afresh the centre’s proposal.
It may be recalled that the state government’s stiff opposition to the scheme had turned into a major election issue, with Modi joining other BJP leaders in criticizing the state dispensation. The Naveen government repeatedly said that its own health scheme — the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) — was better than the Centre’s programme and there was no need to implement Ayushman Bharat in the state. As a step forward, Ayushman Bharat CEO, Dr. Indu Bhusan, met chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi to discuss the implementation of the scheme. Padhi said: “We had a preliminary discussion about the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the Odisha government’s own Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana. The discussions are at an initial stage. We can reach a conclusive point after two-three rounds of discussion.
What made this change of heart on part of the Odisha government? There are two plausible reasons for this new-fangled bonhomie. One, after Narendra Modi ‘s massive victory and installation of the NDA government at the centrte,the Naveen government was left with no choice but to acknowledge the centre’s schemes including AB .This gives an indication that Naveen wants to develop a close relationship with the Modi governemnt.Secondly, the Odisha government must have realized the financial burden of the scheme on the state exchequer and its inability to move forward given that the state’s finances are in the doldrums.
It is instructive to make a comparison of the two schemes. BSKY has free health services for all in public hospitals and special health care for families with income lower than 50,000 in rural and `60,000 in urban areas. Annual income up to 3 lakh for patients suffering from any cardiac or kidney or cancer related diseases is admissible. BSKY provides annual health care coverage of Rs 5 lakh per annum per family and Rs 7 lakh for female members in private empanelled hospitals inside and outside Odisha.
This component is for all Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana, Antyodaya Anna Yojana, Below Poverty Line, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana card holders and families with low income certificates. BSKY is for both Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families. The AB covers only BPL card holders. Under BSKY; people can get treatment in premier hospitals outside Odisha. All premier hospitals including Tata memorial, CMC Vellore and Narayana Hrudalaya are covered in this scheme. AB, on the other hand, has many limitations and that is the reason why the Naveen government has been saying BSKY is far better than AB.
Given the pros and cons of both the schemes, it is to be hoped that there is integration between the two schemes and there is effective implementation. Ultimately, it is the benefit of the people which should be uppermost in mind.
