Santosh Patnaik
Visakhapatnam: Claiming it as first of its kind in India, Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday brought Covid and post-Covid treatment under YSR Aarogyasri, a free health insurance scheme for people below poverty line.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy extended the scope of YSR Aarogyasri by including 2,434 medical procedures under its ambit and bringing in six more districts under its cover. Now all treatments that cost over Rs. 1,000 will be free.
While the scheme is being implemented in seven districts it is now extended to Srikakulam, East Godavari, Krishna, SPS Nellore, Chittoor and Anantapur districts to cover the entire State. The number of medical complications has been increased by 234 taking the total to 2,434.
Speaking on the occasion, after the launch at Tadepalli, the Chief Minister said perhaps AP was the only State which had brought Covid and post-Covid care under the purview of Aarogyasri and all treatments that cost more than Rs 1,000 were covered by Aarogyasri.
The Chief Minister said that the government was moving ahead in strengthening the public healthcare system and thus, initiated to bring 16 new medical colleges across the State including one at Paderu in Visakhapatnam district, with three cancer hospitals, two kidney centres and six multi-speciality hospitals in tribal areas.
He said that one nursing college and a teaching hospital would be set up in every parliamentary constituency. The Chief Minister stated that the government knows the real value of people’s lives and listened to their heartbeat. He said that poor infrastructure facilities in Primary Health Centres to District Hospitals, surgeries under cellphone light, death of a newborn due to rodent bite, long-pending dues to Aarogyasri hospitals of about Rs.680 crore, the poor plight of 104 and 108 ambulance service and villages with zero healthcare facilities had been witnessed during the previous government. He asserted that the YSRCP Government shall change the scenario and bring a new vibe to the public healthcare services.
Reddy said Aarogyasri had been made available in over 130 super-speciality hospitals in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. The government mooted to conduct free eye-checkups, along with high-end treatments for 95 percent of families across the State.
Under Aarogya Asara patients who undergo surgeries were being given financial help of up to Rs.5,000 per month during their resting period. Special pensions up to Rs.10,000 per month were being given for those suffering from chronic ailments like thalassemia, cancer and kidney disorders, he stated.
Deputy Chief Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, Minister Botsa Satyanarayana, Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, Principal Secretary of Health Anil Kumar Singhal, Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Katamaneni Bhasker, Aarogyasri CEO Mallikarjun, and others were present.
