Health staff to be covered under govt scheme ambit

Health cover under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna - the government's flagship public health insurance scheme-will be extended to all ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and helpers, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Thursday.

- Rhythma Kaul

The allocation for the scheme has seen a jump of about 4% from ₹7,200 crore in the budget estimates of 2023-24 to ₹7,500 crore for 2024-25. 

The scheme provides an annual cashless cover of ₹5 lakh for hospitalisation.

After the initial list of approximately 550 million beneficiaries identified from the poor and vulnerable category based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census, 2011, the Centre also expanded the database to include benefits under the scheme to the transgender community for general treatment and also gender reassignment surgeries last year.

Inclusion into the list of AB-PMJAY beneficiaries was a longstanding demand of frontline health care workers across the country. "Thanking FM @NSitharaman Ji for announcing that healthcare cover under Ayushman Bharat scheme will be extended to all ASHA workers, all Aanganwadi workers, and helpers. #ViksitBharatBudget," Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya posted on X. The finance minister also announced that the government would encourage cervical cancer vaccination for girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years. The Centre has been considering the introduction of vaccination against cervical cancer in schools.