Modi expands Ayushman Bharat to include 70-plus age group, 2.72 cr citizens added to beneficiary pool

New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Tuesday that citizens aged 70 years and above would be included in its flagship national health scheme Ayushman Bharat for an outlay of Rs 3,537 crore, nearly six weeks after the cabinet approved it...

While many of them are already covered on account of being in low-income groupsand others are beneficiaries of government health plans such as the Central Group Health Scheme (CGHS)an additional 2.72 crore people from 1.96 crore families, irrespective of their income status, have now been added to the beneficiary pool...

With the aim of enhancing access to health services in India with fully digitalised immunisation services for pregnant women and children, Modi also launched the U-WIN portal, which is estimated to benefit 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore infants annually...

Under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Modi inaugurated five projects under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for medical devices and bulk drugs in five states with an aim to manufacture high-end medical devices, such as body implants and critical care equipment, along with important bulk drugs like penicillin-G and clavulanic acid...

These initiatives support Indias goal of reducing import dependence and enhancing local manufacturing capabilities in medical devices and bulk drugs, the government said.. Modi also laid the foundation stone of four centres of excellence at the National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in various cities, apart from inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of ESIC hospitals...

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