Tarakeswar: In a major step towards women empowerment across the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that the Swasthya Sathi cards will be issued in the name of a woman member of the family, considering her to be its head.
The issuance of Swasthya Sathi cards to a woman member of the family will enable them to afford free health treatment for their kin up to the cost of Rs 5 lakh in all state-run hospitals and also several private hospitals which are tied with the government.
While addressing a huge gathering at the Mati Utsav in Hooghly's Tarakeswar, Banerjee clarified that if women members of the family get married in due course of time, they will be able to treat their new family members as well as their parents. The letters will soon be delivered to the women members of the families and they will be a part of a great exercise initiated by the state government, Banerjee maintained.
The Chief Minister added: "Around 7.5 crore people out of a total of 9.5 crore in the state can now avail free treatment both at government and private hospitals. In case of a normal treatment, people will be able to avail benefits up to the cost of Rs 1.5 lakh annually but if the patients are affected with any critical diseases like cancer, the funds would be extended up to Rs 5 lakh."
As Swasthya Sathi scheme emerges to be one of the biggest successful projects in the state, the Bengal government will pump in extra Rs 925 crore to meet the increase in the number of beneficiaries in the state, Banerjee further said. The Bengal government earlier covered around 54.76 lakh families under the scheme but now benefits have been increased manifold as the state Health department is poised to provide the cards to 1.5 crore families.
Banerjee once again reiterated that the Central government's 'Ayushman Bharat' was just to fool people. When the state government has its own widespread health scheme, there is no point in another being allowed to run which according to Banerjee is just a gimmick.
"We have already withdrawn from the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme. The Centre was sending letters in the name of the scheme to people with a photograph of a political leader on them. It no longer exists in the state as we have our own scheme. We are tying up with some more private hospitals in the state so that more number of patients can avail free treatment," she added.
The entire expenditure of the scheme will be borne by the state government. Patients can avail the benefits of free treatment under the scheme at 1,300 odd hospitals among which 745 are private. As Banerjee has announced, people from various walks of society, be it Self-Help Groups, Asha or ICDS workers, civic volunteers, domestic helps, hawkers, transport workers, rickshaw-pullers etc have already been enrolled as beneficiaries.
Foundation stones were laid for four new medical colleges at Arambagh, Barasat, Talmuk, Jhargram as well as OPD services at Uluberia and Sreerampore super-specialty hospitals, mother and child hub at Contai along with a host of new medical services, new facilities including hostels for working women, 'Karmanjali', were launched on Friday.
The state government benefits were distributed to nearly 10,000 beneficiaries on the occasion.