The Centre is set to launch a health care scheme for the middle class soon, according to sources quoted by Zee News. The scheme will be similar to 'Ayushman Bharat' which is a government-sponsored scheme that was launched in 2018.
Niti Ayog has already developed a report for the scheme calling it a 'Health system for new India'. According to the think tank, there is no such health care scheme for the middle class in the country and this is the reason the Narendra Modi led government wants to come up with this new scheme.
The scheme aims to reach at least 50% of the country's middle class. Moreover, if the plan is successfully implemented, then the beneficiaries can avail excellent health services by just paying a premium of Rs 200-300.
The NITI Aayog report said that people belonging to this section can easily afford their health care expenditures. Almost 40% of the poor have already been covered under Ayushman Bharat. Under this scheme, the government plans to open 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres by 2022. These centres will be equipped to treat numerous diseases, including blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and old-age illnesses.
On Monday, NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar released a report titled ‘Health System for a New India: Building Blocks-Potential Pathways to Reform.’ Commenting on the report, NITI Aayog Health Adviser Alok Kumar said that it has been prepared with an aim to devise a roadmap to set up a health system for those from the middle class. "So, nearly 50% are still not covered under any public healthcare system and the idea is to pool their risk assets which will cater to the health care needs of the middle class," Kumar said.
The report was released in the presence of Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Addressing the event, Gates said that India has a bright future because of its young population. The world's richest man added that human capital of any country is the sum total of its healthcare, educational and nutritional investment for its citizens.
