Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday launched the new co-branded Ayushman Bharat health cards renamed as Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) - Chief Minister’s Arogya Karnataka in Belagavi.
The new health cards co-branded with the Centre and the State logos will have national portability. Beneficiaries covered under the health scheme can now also avail themselves of treatment in other States where the AB-PMJAY is adopted.
The new cards will also be linked with the National Health ID - Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) Identity number. This will help in preserving the medical records of beneficiaries and providing easy and effective treatment in other States too.
Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the Health Department has set a target of distributing health cards to 5.9 crore people within the next six months.
“The new cards have been integrated into the AB-PMJAY national portal and beneficiaries from the State can get treatment under the health card in other States where AB-PMJAY is being implemented,” he said.
“While the State government is providing 66% of the total grant share of the scheme, the Union government is providing 34%. Under the scheme, families with BPL ration cards can get treatment worth ₹5 lakh per annum for one or more members of the family on a family floater basis. Karnataka is the first State to cover APL families also under the scheme. While the APL cardholder pays 70% of the treatment cost, the State government will bear 30%,” he explained.
