On October 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the distribution of the PMJAY-MA Yojana Ayushman cards in Gujarat.
Key facts
- As the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi launched the Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA) scheme in the year 2012 to provide insurance coverage for economically weak citizens to make costly medical treatment and interventions more accessible and affordable.
- In 2014, this scheme was extended to cover families with an annual income limit of Rs.4 lakh.
- It was later expanded to cover other groups and was rebranded as Mukhyamantri Amrutam Vatsalya (MAV) Yojana.
- In 2018, the Central Government, led by Prime Minister Modi, launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) – the world’s largest government-funded health insurance scheme providing a maximum cover of up to Rs.5 lakh per family each year for primary, secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
- The Gujarat government integrated the MA / MAV Yojana with the central government’s scheme in 2019 with the name PMJAY-MA Yojana.
- Beneficiaries of the MA/MAV and AB-PMJAY are eligible for this scheme.
- Under this scheme, PMJAY-MA cards are distributed to the beneficiaries based on the National Health Authority guidelines.
- Since the integration of the two schemes, 1.58 crore beneficiaries received the PMJAY-MA cards.
- From September last year, more than 50 lakh cards have been issued by the state government.
- The beneficiaries will now receive Ayushman PVC cards, which are made of polyvinyl chloride material and can easily be carried by the beneficiaries.
About AB-PMJAY
The AB-PMJAY was launched on September 23, 2018, to minimize the financial burdens caused by medical expenditures. It provides cashless hospitalized coverage with features like no cap on age or family size, no restrictions on pre-existing health conditions, coverage for pre and post-hospitalization medical expenses, and coverage for over 1,500 treatment packages like cancer care and organ transplant. It does not cover OPD services, preventive medical check-ups, and stand-alone diagnostic services. The scheme is being implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) at the national level.