Srinagar: To offer the best facilities to the people, the J&K government spends Rs 1.7 crore per day on public healthcare.
“In J&K, 80 percent of the population is now covered by the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Scheme (Sehat), and the government is spending Rs 1.7 crore every day on public healthcare,” a senior official said.
SEHAT scheme – free health insurance cover – in J&K is proving to be a game changer as so far over 7 lakh patients have received free treatment on which Rs 720 crore has been spent.
The official said that as of today, to get benefits from the programme, almost 80 percent of the eligible 25.72 lakh households have enrolled in the NFSA database with at least one family member confirmed under the PM-JAY and AB-PMJAY-SEHAT scheme.
He said that a total of 72.57 lakh beneficiaries had received Golden Cards.
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
SEHAT in convergence with PM-JAY provides cashless access to healthcare services for the beneficiary at the point of service, that is, the hospital.
“In terms of COVID immunisation and COVID care, J&K has become a national example. A total of 159 projects in the health sector were finished at Rs 670 crore just in the previous fiscal year. We set a goal to complete 220 healthcare projects for Rs 1757 crore within the current fiscal year,” the official said.
The Centre recently approved a sum of Rs 1484.72 crore for the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) sector to be used under the capital expenditure year 2022–2023.
In addition to government support, the administration is targeting private investment in the health sector.
In the upcoming years, J&K anticipates adding 5800 new hospital beds and 1000 additional MBBS seats with a projected investment of Rs 4200 crore.
Numerous businesses would invest in J&K hospitals, medical schools, and paramedical institutes.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha last week said that his administration was investing in healthcare and medical education to give J&K residents and young people the best service and career possibilities they need for a better future.