Motihari, June 1 (IANS) Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) – the largest publicly funded health assurance scheme in the world, providing health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation, is yielding considerable results in the city as thousands of residents have registered themselves for the scheme and are also drawing benefits from it.

Unlike earlier, people from the lower and middle class background are getting themselves treated at hospitals without any expense. Those suffering from diseases are undergoing treatment in private hospitals of Motihari and also getting operated upon the PM-JAY.

Many patients spoke to IANS, sharing how got operated on for hernia and other diseases like appendix, without accruing any financial burden.

Beneficiary Virendra Shah said: “This scheme is very beneficial as the treatment of disease has become very expensive.”

Prem Kumar said: “If this scheme had not been introduced by the government, poor people like us would have either had to mortgage our jewellery or sell our land, but now, thanks to the government’s scheme, we are getting treatment without spending a single rupee.”

A female beneficiary, Sangeeta Kumar, said: “We had got the Ayushman card made a long time ago. When we knew that treatment is being done under this scheme in this hospital, we came here. We are thankful to the government.”

Dr. Ajay Verma, a city doctor treating these patients also praised the PM-JAY.

“Earlier, if farmers or poor people had a major illness and needed treatment, they had to sell rice and wheat or mortgage their jewellery to get treatment. But, PM-JAY is giving new life to people. People now come to the hospital without paying any money and go after getting treatment. Earlier they used to worry about both the disease and money, but now this does not happen,” he told IANS.

–IANS

mr/pgh