ASSAM TIMES POST
Guwahati: For the benefit of BPL and low income population of Assam state government announced expansion of Atal Amrit Abhiyan on Wednesday. From 1st November, the flagship scheme will include six more expensive critical care disease groups in addition to the existing six disease. On a press conference which is held in Janata Bhawan, state health minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said about on it. He said that state cabinet had approved the implementation of Vistarita Atal Amrit Abhiyan on October 21 with addition of critical care disease groups-ICU packages for all diseases, trauma that includes accident cases, critical care pediatrics and pediatric surgery up to 14 years, bone marrow transplantation including for cancer, Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.
Stating the existing Atal Amrit Abhiyan Society would implement the expanded or Vistarita Atal Amrit Abhiyan, Sarma said that all the beneficiaries enrolled under the AAA would be automatically eligible for the procedures covered under the VAAA. He again said that within 16 months of launch of the scheme on April 18, 2018, 1.6 crore people covered by the health insurance scheme. The beneficiaries included 27426 cancer patients, 20000 plus kidney and 6400 cardiac patients.
The insurance coverage benefit was provided at an expenditure of Rs 140 crore, Minister Sarma informed.
Giving figures of the prevalence of cancer during the last five years, the minister said the global rate was 3.24 crore, in India 18 lakh and 80000 in Assam with an alarming 30000 new cases added every year.
All the BPL population and low income households with annual income of Rs five lakh or less are eligible for inclusion in the scheme, the minister said, adding, they can enroll themselves in any government hospital.
