Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi proposed an allocation of Rs 4,479 crore for the implementation of the integrated Ayushman Bharat-PM Jan Arogya Yojana and state’s Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana to provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to beneficiaries.
The govt has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre to implement the integrated scheme from this year. Beneficiaries can get treatment in 29,000 empanelled govt and private hospitals across the country instead of the existing 900 hospitals under the integrated scheme, official sources said.
Majhi said the govt has started the process of recruiting more than 5,000 doctors to ensure the availability of specialists in each state-run medical facility, including remote locations.
The govt also allocated Rs 3,881 crore for health infrastructure projects under the Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Seva Mission (MMSSM) and Rs 420 crore under Ama Hospital scheme. “New medical colleges and dental colleges shall be established in the state,” said Majhi.
The budget also provisioned Rs 2,091 crore for free drugs, diagnostic services, including CT scan, MRI, free dialysis services, blood services and ambulance to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of people.
The govt has proposed Rs 211 crore for a comprehensive cancer care plan in the state. The initiative will aid in early detection of cancer by applying evidence-based sample screening technology. It allocated Rs 270 crore under the Swasthya Sahaya scheme to mitigate communicable and non-communicable diseases, manage logistics, training and research, strengthen OPD, public health lab and stem cell lab, and other support services.
The govt has allocated Rs 100 crore for the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to develop an integrated digital health infrastructure, bridging gaps among healthcare stakeholders. “To strengthen healthcare monitoring, a ‘chronic kidney care registry’ will be maintained,” the CM said in his budget speech.
The govt has decided to cover all gram panchayats with Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. For this, he allocated Rs 500 crore in the budget. A ‘state one health cell’ will be set up as a dedicated facility for command, control and inter-departmental coordination during health emergencies, official sources said.
In the state budget, Rs 997 crore has been allocated under the Nirmal scheme to ensure healthy and hygienic hospitals by strengthening ancillary services at public health facilities.
