If Ayushman Bharat scheme was not there, poor would have spent Rs 14,000 cr for treatment: PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that if the Ayushman Bharat scheme was not in place, the poor would have had to pay an estimated Rs 14,000 crore from their own pocket for medical treatment.
"In our country, for decades, crores of impoverished citizens have been living their lives engulfed by the constant concern- what will happen if they fall ill? To seek medical treatment or worry about earning bread for the family? Realising this distress, the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme was launched about one and a half years ago to ameliorate this constant worry. A few days ago, the number of beneficiaries of the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme crossed over one crore. More than one crore patients imply that more than one crore families of our country have been served. Do you know what more than one crore patients means? It means the cumulative population of two Norways and two Singapores has been provided free treatment in such a short time," Prime Minister Modi said in the 65th edition of his monthly radio program 'Mann Ki Baat'.
"If the poor had to pay for the treatment post-hospitalisation, had they not received free treatment, according to a rough estimate, more than Rs 14,000 Crore would have been required to be paid out of their own pockets. The 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme has saved spending this huge amount of money belonging to the poor. I congratulate not only the beneficiaries of 'Ayushman Bharat' but also all the doctors, nurses and medical staff who treated patients under this scheme," he added.
He further said: "An important feature with the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme is its portability facility. This portability of the scheme has also helped to paint the country in the colour of unity, which means, an underprivileged person from Bihar will get the same medical facility in Karnataka, which he would have got in his home state. Similarly, if a deprived person from Maharashtra is in need of medical treatment then he would get the same treatment facility in Tamil Nadu. Due to this scheme, the underprivileged in any area where the system of health is weak are able to seek the best medical treatment in any corner of the country."
"One would be surprised to know that 80 percent of the one crore beneficiaries hail from the rural areas of the nation. About 50 percent of these beneficiaries are our mothers and sisters and daughters. And most of these beneficiaries were suffering from diseases that could not be treated with standard medicines. Of these, 70 per cent of people have had surgical intervention. You can guess how these people have got rid of their trouble," he added.
The Prime Minister further gave an example of a child based in Manipur who got a new lease of life from the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
"Kelansang, a six-year-old child in Chura-Chandpur, Manipur, has also got a new lease of life from the Ayushman scheme. Kelansang suffered from severe brain disease at such a tender age. Kelansang's father, a daily wage labourer, and the mother working as a weaver faced a situation where it was becoming very difficult to seek treatment for their child. But due to the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme now, their son received free treatment," he said. (ANI)