Lucknow, February 28: CM Yogi Adityanath announces a major relief for Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries—soon, all 12 cantonment hospitals in Uttar Pradesh will extend treatment facilities under the Ayushman Card scheme, with the State Health Agency set to sign an MoU.
In fact, there are a total of 13 cantonment hospitals in the state. Currently, only the Prayagraj Cantonment Hospital is providing treatment to Ayushman card holders. Witnessing the successful results, the Yogi government has now decided to provide treatment to Ayushman card holders in other cantonment hospitals across the state.
Archana Verma, CEO of the State Agency for Comprehensive Health and Integrated Services (SACHIS), stated that since January of this year, Ayushman cardholders have been receiving free treatment at the Cantonment Hospital in Prayagraj. Patients are being treated for serious illnesses, including cardiology, nephrology, medical and surgical oncology, and other services. Additionally, free OPD appointments, free testing, and free transportation for critical patients are being provided, all of which have yielded positive results.
She added that following this success, MoUs will be signed with 12 other cantonment hospitals in the state. The State Health Agency has completed almost all the formalities for this purpose. She added that following the MoUs, patients with Ayushman cardholders will be treated at the cantonment hospitals in Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Bareilly, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Shahjahanpur, Mathura, Agra, Fatehpur, Jhansi, and Babina. The addition of these hospitals will further expand the number of empanelled hospitals under the Ayushman scheme in the state.
Dr Pooja Yadav, CEO of SACHIS, stated that collaboration with cantonment hospitals will provide better specialized services to Ayushman cardholders. Patients suffering from serious and complex illnesses, in particular, will receive high-quality medical care. Pick-and-drop facilities will also be provided for critical patients, ensuring that patients from economically weaker sections do not face any difficulties in reaching the hospital.
She explained that necessary procedures in all cantonment hospitals are being aligned with the Ayushman scheme. Following the MoU, these hospitals will be linked to the scheme’s portal, ensuring a transparent and timely process for patient treatment, billing, and claim settlement. This initiative by the Yogi government will also allow ordinary citizens to benefit from the modern medical facilities of military hospitals, and will also reduce the pressure on healthcare services. The decision to link cantonment hospitals with the Ayushman scheme will prove to be a major relief for poor and needy citizens