Gujarat government doubles healthcare benefits for Ayushman Card holders

Ahmedabad, July (IANS) The Gujarat government on Tuesday has announced an increase in healthcare benefits for Ayushman Card holder families raising the free treatment limit from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakhs.

The government aims to expand coverage and support for beneficiaries, ensuring access to high-quality healthcare services.

Starting from July 11, all Ayushman Card holder families in Gujarat can avail themselves of the increased benefit limit.

The free treatment facilities will available pan-India for 2471 different medical procedures within a limit of Rs 10 lakh in hospitals empanelled under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

The increased health coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh comes at no additional cost to the beneficiaries, as the entire expense is borne by the state government.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said: “The Gujarat government has decided to provide health cover up to Rs 10 lakh instead of Rs 5 lakh to Ayushman Card holder families. This policy enables beneficiaries to receive free treatment at every PM-JAY empanelled hospital across the country.

“So far, Ayushman cards have been issued to 1.79 crore people in the state. We have also started a feedback mechanism. We ensure that every Ayushman card holder gets free and hassle-free treatment in empanelled hospitals of the state, be it government or private hospitals,” the Chief Minister said.

Health Department has empanelled 2848 hospitals, including 2027 government, 803 private, and 18 centrally sponsored hospitals under the scheme.

The government has already settled over 53.99 lakh claims, expending Rs 10,221 crore.