Surendranagar (Gujarat), Oct 13 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several welfare schemes for the benefit of the people, and one such initiative making a significant impact in Gujarat is the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). Many residents of Surendranagar district are availing free healthcare services under this scheme.

Under the PMJAY, the government provides free treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, which has proven to be a lifesaver for numerous beneficiaries.

Vipulbhai Bagaria, a resident of Surendranagar, benefited from the scheme when his father required heart surgery. He shared his experience, stating that the entire cost of Rs 1,78,000 was covered through the Ayushman card.

“My father needed a bypass operation. We got the Ayushman card from Surendranagar District Hospital. The government paid the full amount. If not for this scheme, we would have had to borrow money or seek help from others. It’s hard to imagine what middle-class families like ours would have done without it,” Bagaria told IANS.

He also appreciated the ease of obtaining the card and praised the hospital staff and doctors for their support.

Launched on September 23, 2018, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest government-funded health protection initiative. The flagship scheme provides health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisations. It aims to support approximately 55 crore individuals, covering around 12.37 crore families — representing the economically vulnerable bottom 40 per cent of India’s population.

As of August 1, 2025, more than 79.75 crore ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) IDs have been created, and 65.34 crore Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have been linked across various health portals, ensuring seamless and digitised access to health services.

The PM-JAY scheme is designed to bridge the gap in healthcare accessibility and affordability. Households eligible under the scheme are identified based on deprivation and occupational criteria from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011, applicable to both rural and urban areas.

PM-JAY is entirely government-funded, with implementation costs shared between the Central and State Governments. It seeks to reduce the financial burden on poor and vulnerable families arising out of catastrophic hospital expenses and to ensure their access to quality healthcare services.

–IANS

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