The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has demanded that all 4.5 crore residents of Odisha be included under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
BJD spokesperson Dr. Lekhashree Samantsinghar stated that before the upcoming Rath Yatra, every resident of Odisha must be covered by the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
She said if the state BJP government ensures the inclusion of every Odia in the scheme before the Rath Yatra, and provides free healthcare benefits of Rs.10 lakhs for men and Rs.15 lakhs for women, only then can the so-called “Double Engine Government” claim to be genuinely working in the interest of the people of Odisha.
Dr. Samantsinghar further alleged that despite being in power for ten months, the state BJP government has failed to bring any effective changes to the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).
She said the government has now once again acknowledged that the BSKY, initiated by the BJD, remains the best healthcare scheme in the country.
However, she criticized the BJP government for merely renaming the scheme without introducing any new features or improvements.
The BJD spokesperson pointed out that while BSKY had 3.56 crore beneficiaries, Ayushman Bharat currently covers only 3.51 crore.
She demanded that the state government clarify on what basis certain beneficiaries were excluded from the scheme, which was launched by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda in Cuttack on Friday.
Dr. Samantsinghar also claimed that while the BJP has been vigorously promoting Ayushman Bharat, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has highlighted large-scale financial irregularities, corruption, and mismanagement in the healthcare services under the scheme.
She recalled that in 2013-14, under the name “Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana”, Odisha implemented the country’s first health insurance scheme, creating a model under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Later, in August 2018, the “Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana” was launched in assurance mode in the state.
According to Dr. Samantsinghar, the newly launched Ayushman Bharat scheme in Odisha is merely a replica of BSKY with only a name change.
She said the BSKY, launched by the BJD government, helped Odisha achieve a leading position in reducing out-of-pocket health expenditures across the country.
Dr. Samantsinghar claimed that while Uttar Pradesh reduced such expenses by 13 percent and Maharashtra by 20 percent, Odisha managed to reduce them by 37 per cent.
