Hence forth, it’s Mahatma Phule not Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee AarogyaYojana
Mumbai: The State government on Tuesday decided to refurbish the insurance-based health scheme to include more services and make it more effective and name it after social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. However, the Congress has objected to the decision as the scheme is currently being named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
“We have increased the insurance cover under the scheme from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh, increased the number of medical procedures covered under the scheme from current 971 to 1100, done away with over 110 procedures where no patients had registered in past few years and considerably increased the scope of the scheme to include procedures like kidney transplant, orthopaedic implants and ontological, paediatric and geriatric treatments, while ensuring better and faster services which would be available at more number of hospitals,” health minister Dr Deepak Sawant said after the cabinet meeting where the decision to launch the new Mahatma Phule Jana Arogya Scheme (MPJAS) was made.
“The current insurance based health scheme is scheduled to lapse in the month of October this year. The MoUs with insurance providers and third party administrators are till November this year. We intended to change all such components of the scheme. Hence we decided to launch the new scheme and since this is the 125th death anniversary year of great social reformer Mahatma JyotibaPhule, we have named the scheme after him,” Sawant said.
However, the Congress opposed the decision. “Strongly oppose the Maharashtra government’s decision to change name of Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayi Aarogya Yojana. Proves govt’s mental bankruptcy to start new schemes,” tweeted Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt.
“The scope of the scheme has been increased now to include 2.26 crore BLP and APL families, students in government hostels, residents of destitute and old age homes, farmers from 14 suicide prone districts and working journalists,” the health minister said.
Sawant also announced a new accident insurance scheme which is named after Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. “Under the scheme deserving victims of road accidents would be treated at the hospital free of cost,” he said.
The limit for such treatment is set to be Rs 30,000 for now. But, we can always revise the scheme as and when needed, he added. Most of the other criteria of the scheme are similar to that of the MPJAS.
