Member of Parliament seeks intervention of Hon’ble Lt. Governor so that poor patients of AB-PMJAY can get transport cost reimbursement along with one attendant

Port Blair, Feb 7: The Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Shri. Kuldeep Rai Sharma has sought the intervention of Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands so that poor patients of the Islands referred under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) can get transport cost reimbursement along with one attendant based on the mode of travel recommended by the referring specialist.

Recently the Member of Parliament had raised a serious issue in the Lok Sabha on 09.12.2022 regarding grant of additional amount to the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY).

In this matter the Member of Parliament has received a reply from Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India.

In his reply the Minister said that after examining the matter he has learnt that AB- PMJAY is being implemented in the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands since the launch of the scheme on 23.09.2018.

According to the Minister, after launch, it was decided to merge the UT scheme ANISHI with AB-PMJAY on 15th August 2020. This convergence was aimed at ensuring access to quality healthcare services to the islanders by utilizing the AB-PMJAY ecosystem. The Scheme extends healthcare benefits of Rs. 5 lakh per year per family to families identified by the UT Government based on income criteria along with 21,399 beneficiary families identified from SECC database. This ensures all beneficiaries eligible under the erstwhile ANISHI scheme remain eligible under the converged scheme.

Further, the Minister informed that the beneficiaries of the converged scheme are provided with transport cost reimbursement along with one attendant based on the mode of travel recommended by the referring specialist which could either be by ship, by air in sitting position or by air as a stretcher case. In addition, an allowance up to Rs. 3,000 or the actual cost of travel by ambulance from airport or harbour to hospital and back, whichever is less shall also be admissible for reimbursement.

From the above reply it is now clear that as per the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers Government of India, all beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) are entitled to get transport cost reimbursement along with one attendant based on the mode of travel recommended by the referring specialist which could either be by ship, by air in sitting position or by air as a stretcher case.

The Member of Parliament informed the Hon’ble Lt. Governor that he has learnt from a good number of referred patients of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna that they are not given any such transportation cost for themselves as well as one attendant, which is contradictory to the reply given by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers Government of India.

He added that there is a lot of confusion in this regard among referred patients and the Directorate of Health Services.

Hence, the Member of Parliament has requested Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to examine the matter and direct the Health Services to make it a mandatory to provide transport cost reimbursement to all referred patients under AB- PMJAY along with one attendant based on the mode of travel recommended by the referring specialist which could either be by ship, by air in sitting position or by air as a stretcher case.