‘Ayushman card’ enrollment halted in health minister’s home town; officials recommending beneficiaries to visit private service centre
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ November 22,2023
In order to enrol maximum people of Punjab under health insurance cover as desired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh has instructed the health department officials to register and cover maximum beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat— Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana.
The scheme offers cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year in over 800 government and private empanelled hospitals across the state. The scheme offers access to around 1600 types of treatments, including knee replacements, heart surgeries, cancer treatments etc.
With an aim of increasing the number of eligible beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana run by the state government had already announced a bumper draw in which 10 people would be given cash prizes through a lucky draw of beneficiaries, who would get the card issued by the state health agency till November 30.
But, the situation at ground zero is different in the home town of health minister of Punjab, Dr Balbir Singh. The enrollment of Ayushman Card has been halted as the “ Argoya Mitra”- dealing clerk who is making the Ayushman card at Mata Kaushalya Hospital is on 10 days leave and in her absence no new cards are being made.
The dealing officials in her absence are sending the applicants to a nearby private service centre which is charging Rs 100 for making Ayushman Card from the applicant, which is actually free at Mata Kaushalya Hospital. If any person from the hospital calls the service centre, they charge Rs 50 or in some cases won’t charge anything.
An employee who is appointed as a nodal person of Ayushman Card by the department says “he has no computer and webcams”. Another employee to whom the dealing person, who is on leave had given the charge said to an applicant “if you have a webcam, bring it, I’ll click your photo, otherwise, tomorrow I’ll try to go to that seat and do the needful.”
Even a young girl who is sick and have appendix problem, an old lady along with many others visited today at a particular private service centre to get her Ayushman card enrolled just because nobody is entertaining the beneficiaries at the hospital.
When contacted the civil surgeon, Dr Raminder Kaur, she said “I have no knowledge about this problem. Moreover Dr Jagpalinder , medical superintendent is looking after Mata Kaushalya Hospital and I’ll inform him tomorrow to look into this and do the necessary arrangements”. When asked the officials are recommending the private service centre, she gave a very vague answer “ card tan banwana hi hai ohna ne.”
