Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday dedicated to the people of Arunachal Pradesh the Chief Minister’s Aarogya Arunachal Yojana (CMAAY), a universal healthcare scheme of the state government coinciding with the nation-wide launch of ‘Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dubbed ‘Modicare’, AB-PMJAY could be a potential game-changer in the upcoming electoral battles, as well as for the healthcare landscape of India. The scheme aims at providing an annual health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family to about 500 million economically deprived people based on the Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) data. It is being touted as the world’s largest healthcare programme.

While launching the CMAAY programme,  Khandu said that the state’s healthcare scheme will be dovetailed with the Centre's scheme with Rs 50 crore earmarked for the programme. What is pertinent to note is that the CM’s healthcare scheme will provide coverage to those beneficiaries left out in the PMJAY scheme.   According to the SECC, about 88,928 families are eligible for PMJAY scheme out of 3.05 lakhs families. The CMAAY scheme will provide healthcare coverage to remaining 2.15 lakh families, which will include all the state government employees, tribal families and non-APST permanent residents. This is a revolutionary step considering the fact that the PMJAY has rigid eligibility criteria.

Khandu ever since he took over the reins of government at Itanagar had launched a series of welfare schemes the benefits of which have started showing results. Now that the CMAAY has been launched, attention must be given as to where the patients will get the treatment. As such healthcare system in the state is anything but desirable. The state had to wait for long to get a medical college of its own. The condition of district hospitals and primary health centres are anything but desirable. The programme was launched at a time when the government is struggling with inadequate health infrastructure, especially in rural areas, where most of the scheme’s beneficiaries are concentrated. Thus it is imperative that immediate attention is paid to building healthcare infrastructure, otherwise ‘Pemacare’ will miss out on what it set out to do.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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