Doctors unaware of BJP's ambitious scheme 'Ayushman Bharat'

LUCKNOW: Just a day after the launch of BJP government's ambitious scheme 'Ayushman Bharat' people have started to doubt all the grand promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The scheme, however, was launched with much pomp and show, Modi calling it the world's largest government-funded healthcare insurance programme and promising to benefit 50 crore people under the scheme, people don't seem to be even aware of such scheme within a kilometers range from the launching venue.

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The PM Jan Arogya Yojana-'Ayushman Bharat' grand launch was organised at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik on Sunday. But it seems as if the government failed to spread the message efficiently across, leaving doctors and citizens confused at large.

A doctor seeing patients at ‘Critical Care Unit’ of the government-run Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) gave a perplexed look when asked about the scheme.

“We have no information on this,” he said. There is not a single banner or hoarding of the scheme at this hospital or at the adjoining Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, forget an ‘Ayushman Bharat’ kiosk or ‘Ayushman Mitras’, who are supposed to guiding patients. “Ayushman Bharat? There is a PM Jan Aushadhi Kendra…Are you talking about that?”

One worker there informed that he has enrolled many people under this scheme but his family was missing from the list and also he didn't receive any incentive for this from the government.

Among many doctors and workers at RML combined hospital only one doctor who was educated about the scheme said, “See, I have heard that an Ayushman Kiosk will soon come up to make people aware. Right now, there is nothing. The scheme has just been launched today…it will take time.”

Some people were also informed of this humongous scheme under Ayushman Bharat name, mainly via banners and hoardings at cross-sections, traffic signals but their knowledge of the scheme was limited to just some scheme launching function with Modi as the face of the scheme.

Although, the launch and benefits seems a far cry than what was promised by Naik and his squad of UP Ministers at the time of launch. Naik glorified it as the 'Mount Everest' of all Modi schemes.