Former Union Minister and BJP MP from Secunderabad, Bandaru Dattatreya, has asked the State Government to rethink on its decision to stay away from implementing the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health scheme.
In an open letter addressed to caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday, Mr. Dattatreya stated that the health scheme introduced by the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre would go a long way in providing health security to the poor. Instead of seeking changes in the guidelines for implementation of the scheme, which is prudent in a federal system, the decision to reject it without even consulting the opposition parties is “autocratic and undemocratic,” he observed.
Stating that the NDA had doubled spending on health and education after coming to power at the Centre, the lone BJP MP from Telangana said Ayushman Bharat is aimed at providing health security to about 10.74 crore families or 50 crore population. Although the existing scheme in Telangana, Aarogyasri, has been helpful to people for over 10 years now, the implementation of the Central scheme would extend the benefit further, he noted.
Explaining the merits of the Central scheme, Mr. Dattatreya said while Aargoyasri would provide health cover up to ₹2 lakh per every family, the Ayushman Bharat scheme would enhance the limit to ₹5 lakh. The Centre's scheme would be a blessing a disguise to those suffering from life threatening ailments related to cancer, heart and kidneys. Besides, the Central scheme covers 1,350 procedures and diseases against only 949 covered under the State’s scheme, he said.
Further, Aarogya Sri services are being extended only in about 270 government and private hospitals in the State but Ayushman Bharat will help families covered under it get treatment in more number of hospitals and get an additional ₹500 crore funding from the Centre, he noted.
When the State government is supplying 6 kg rice per person in below poverty line households by adding its share to 5 kg of rice given by the Centre at ₹27.7 per kg under the Food Security Act, why can't it do the same in case of the health scheme, Mr. Dattatreya questioned.
