Latest news with #VayVandana
India Gazette
06-07-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
"Delhi govt working to ensure right to be healthy throughout life with dignity under Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme": JP Nadda
New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): Union Health Minister JP Nadda expressed his satisfaction over the the BJP-led Delhi government in ensuring that every person gets the 'right to be healthy,' as he distributed appointment letters to Delhi Nursing Officers and Paramedical staff and flagged off Ayushman Bharat Registration Vans at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan on Sunday. Nadda underlined that Delhi observes the highest healthcare load as people across the country come to Delhi for treatment, and earlier, the healthcare system faced negligence. He commended the efforts of the current Delhi government for strengthening the healthcare infrastructure and implementing Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan AarogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) and Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM- ABHIM). According to an official statement from the health ministry, the letters were distributed in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Ministers of Government of NCT Delhi, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Minister, Health and Family Welfare & Transport and Information Technology, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Minister, Social Welfare, Welfare for SC & ST, Cooperative and Election and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Minister, Industries, Food & Supplies, Environment, Forest & Wild Life, Members of Parliament (Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Praveen Khandelwal, Yogender Chandolia and Bansuri Swaraj). He stated that 'under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ayushman Vay Vandana was introduced to ensure healthcare to the senior citizens above the age of 70. The Delhi government is working in this direction of ensuring the right to be healthy throughout life with dignity under Vay Vandana. To date, 4 lakh Ayushman Cards have been issued in Delhi, with 2 lakh cards issued under Vay Vandana.' He urged all stakeholders to work dedicatedly towards implementing PM-ABHIM in Delhi and fulfil the target of opening 1100 Ayushman Arogya mandirs by March 31, 2026, the statement mentioned. Nadda underlined that 'in 1997, the Health Policy focused primarily on curative care, while under the visionary leadership of PM, the New Health Policy 2017 was introduced with a philosophy of comprehensive care--preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative-- with a special focus on geriatric care. As per the statement, Nadda emphasised the important role of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in providing equal, affordable and accessible healthcare for all. He highlighted that 'special emphasis is being given to preventive healthcare under which initiatives for early diagnosis for different diseases have been undertaken. We are focusing on screenings of individuals over the age of 30 and working towards stalling the spread of diseases through early diagnosis. Till now, 18 crore screenings for hypertension, 17 crore screenings for diabetes, 15 crore screenings for oral cancer, 7.5 crore screenings for breast cancer and 4.5 crore screenings for cervical cancer have been conducted.' Highlighting the strides made in the direction of maternal and child care, Nadda highlighted that 'through the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, from conception to childbirth to early childhood care is being provided. Regular checkups and immunisations have led to significant improvements. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has declined from 130 to 88 per lakh live births while Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropped from 39 to 26. Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR) has declined at a rate of 42% while the global decline is 14%. The neonatal mortality rate has declined by 40% rate while the global average decline was 11%.' The Union Minister also added that 'TB incidence has reduced by 17.7%, which is more than double the global decline rate of 8.3%, which is confirmed by the WHO Global TB Report 2024.' Highlighting the substantial growth in medical education and infrastructure. Nadda stated that 'earlier India only had 7 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) till 2014, but today, 20 AIIMS are operational. The number of medical colleges has increased from 387 in 2014 to 780; the number of medical seats has increased from 51,000 to 1,18,000. Aiming for a total increase of 75,000 seats over the next five years.' Commending the initiative of Ayushman Bharat Registration Vans, Shri Nadda stated that 'running of 70 specially designed Vans in all assembly constituencies is a novel initiative in order to cover all eligible beneficiaries of PM Jan Arogya Scheme. 20 specially designed mobile vans are being flagged off. 70 such Vans will cover 70 assembly constituencies where they will collect and generate data for issuance of Ayushman Card and register the beneficiaries at their doorsteps.' Shri Nadda also highlighted the importance of the nursing and paramedical staff in the healthcare landscape and urged the newly appointed officers present to work with dedication and empathy towards implementing the healthcare schemes. Speaking on the occasion,. Rekha Gupta stated, 'Till now, 4 lakh Ayushman cards have been distributed under the Ayushman Arogya Yojana, which includes 2 lakh Vay Vandana Cards issued to the senior citizens of Delhi. A total of 2,258 individuals has already received medical treatment 108 hospitals of Delhi have been empanelled under the scheme.' She also informed that 'by 31st March 2026, a total of 1100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) will be established in Delhi using the 1700 crore Rupees allocated for Delhi under PM-ABHIM. 100 AAMs are ready, out of which 34 have already been inaugurated, and the rest will be launched this month only. The Delhi government is working with a goal of inaugurating 100 AAMs every month, with 15 AAMs in each Assembly constituency and 150 in each parliamentary constituency.' CM Gupta also underlined that 'every hospital of Delhi has a Jan Aushadhi Kendra now that ensures access to medicines to all.' She also highlighted the efforts of the Delhi government to ensure transparency in the healthcare system while keeping corruption at bay. Following sustained efforts by all stakeholders, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, NCT Delhi, has issued Offers of Appointment to 1,388 Nursing Officers and 41 Paramedical Officers selected through the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB). Till now, 1,270 candidates have accepted the offers, and their document verification process is currently underway. As of July 3, 2025, 557 Nursing Officers and 20 Paramedical Officials have successfully completed document verification. This significant recruitment drive is expected to address the acute shortage of nursing and paramedical staff in Delhi's hospitals to a great extent. In parallel, continuous efforts are being made to fill all existing and anticipated vacancies of doctors, nursing, and paramedical staff arising due to retirements, promotions, and the creation of new posts. These actions are being undertaken proactively and simultaneously. (ANI)
Hans India
06-07-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Delhi Health Minister slams previous AAP govt for failure to fill vacancies
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh on Sunday hit out at the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for failure to give appointment letters to hospital staff in the city, due to which the medical services deteriorated over the years. He said after a gap of 15 years, appointment letters were issued to nursing officers and allied healthcare professionals in the city. 'It is a matter of pride that our government is addressing the staff shortage that came to our notice after government formation,' Singh told IANS, assuring that the Rekha Gupta government is committed to working closely with the medical department officials and staff to improve facilities in the city. He was speaking to reporters after Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda handed over appointment letters to 1,388 Nursing Officers and 41 Allied Healthcare Professionals. The Delhi Health Minister said this recruitment of nurses should have been done five years ago, but the previous government failed to do so. Giving an update on the free medical insurance for 70-plus citizens, the Health Minister said the Delhi government has managed to issue over two lakh cards under the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY). Earlier, Nadda said, 'The Delhi government is working in the direction of ensuring the right to be healthy throughout life with dignity under Vay Vandana. Till date, 4 lakh Ayushman Cards have been issued in Delhi, with 2 lakh cards issued under Vay Vandana.' He urged all stakeholders to work dedicatedly towards implementing PM-ABHIM in Delhi and fulfil the target of opening 1,100 Ayushman Arogya mandirs till 31st March, 2026. Flagging off 20 Ayushman Bharat Registration Vans, he said, 'Running 70 specially designed Vans in all Assembly constituencies is a novel initiative in order to cover all eligible beneficiaries of PM Jan Arogya Scheme.' 'Twenty specially designed mobile vans are being flagged off. Seventy such Vans will cover 70 Assembly constituencies where they will collect and generate data for issuance of Ayushman Card and register the beneficiaries at their doorsteps,' he said.
Hans India
06-07-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Centre aims to establish 1,100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in Delhi by March 31, 2026
Health Minister JP Nadda on Sunday urged all stakeholders to work dedicatedly towards implementing PM-ABHIM (Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission) in Delhi, and fulfil the target of opening 1,100 Ayushman Arogya mandirs by March 31, 2026, with an outlay of Rs 1,700 crore. The minister distributed appointment letters to Delhi nursing officers and paramedical staff and flagged off Ayushman Bharat Registration Vans, in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at Vigyan Bhawan here. "This is a momentous occasion as today, after 15 years, our nursing officers and paramedical staff are receiving appointment letters. With this, the Delhi government is working towards strengthening the healthcare system by recruiting a specialised workforce," Nadda said. He underlined that Delhi observes the highest healthcare load as people across the country come to Delhi for treatment, and earlier, the healthcare system faced negligence. The Minister commended the efforts of the current Delhi government for strengthening the healthcare infrastructure and implementing Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan AarogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) and PM-ABHIM. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ayushman Vay Vandana was introduced to ensure healthcare for the senior citizens above the age of 70. The Delhi government is working in this direction of ensuring the right to be healthy throughout life with dignity under Vay Vandana," the Health Minister noted. Till date, 4 lakh Ayushman Cards have been issued in Delhi, with 2 lakh cards issued under Vay Vandana. He urged all stakeholders to work dedicatedly towards implementing PM-ABHIM in Delhi and fulfil the target of opening 1,100 Ayushman Arogya mandirs till March 31, 2026. "In 1997, the Health Policy focused primarily on curative care, while under the visionary leadership of PM, the New Health Policy 2017 was introduced with a philosophy of comprehensive care—preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative - with a special focus on geriatric care," said the minister. He highlighted that "special emphasis is being given to preventive healthcare, under which initiatives for early diagnosis for different diseases have been undertaken. We are focusing on screenings of individuals over the age of 30 and working towards stalling the spread of diseases through early diagnosis". "Till now, 18 crore screenings for hypertension, 17 crore screenings for diabetes, 15 crore screenings for oral cancer, 7.5 crore screenings for breast cancer and 4.5 crore screenings for cervical cancer have been conducted," said Nadda. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has declined from 130 to 88 per lakh live births, while Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropped from 39 to 26. Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) has declined at a rate of 42 per cent, while the global decline is 14 per cent. The neonatal mortality rate has declined by 40 per cent rate while the global average decline was 11 per cent. Nadda also added that "TB incidence has reduced by 17.7 per cent, which is more than double the global decline rate of 8.3 per cent, which is confirmed by the WHO Global TB Report 2024". India only had 7 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) till 2014, but today, 20 AIIMS are operational. "The number of medical colleges has increased from 387 in 2014 to 780; the number of medical seats has increased from 51,000 to 1,18,000, aiming for a total increase of 75,000 seats over the next five years," the Health Minister said. On the occasion, CM Gupta stated: "Till now, 4 lakh Ayushman cards have been distributed under the Ayushman Arogya Yojana, which includes 2 lakh Vay Vandana Cards issued to the senior citizens of Delhi. A total of 2,258 individuals have already received medical treatment. 108 hospitals of Delhi have been empanelled under the scheme." She also underlined that "every hospital of Delhi has a Jan Aushadhi Kendra now that ensures access to medicines to all". She also highlighted the efforts of the Delhi government to ensure transparency in the healthcare system while keeping corruption at bay.
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Free treatment under Vay Vandana scheme for senior citizens aged 70 and above still elusive in Karnataka
Free treatment for senior citizens aged 70 and above, under the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana (ABVV) scheme, is still elusive in Karnataka. This is because the State's Finance Department has not agreed to the Centre's assurance that the modalities for release of grants for the scheme will be finalised soon. Responding to the State's letter seeking adequate support to implement the Vay Vandana scheme, which is an extended part of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the Centre has requested Karnataka to start providing the services and that the payment modalities for additional cost will be worked out soon. Sharing ratio Expressing the State's inability to start the Vay Vandana scheme without any clarity on the fund release, Karnataka's Principal Secretary (Health) Harsh Gupta had written to the Union Health Secretary pointing out that the State is entitled to get ₹36.58 crore from the Centre for the scheme as per the 60:40 sharing ratio of Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme. 'Although the sharing ratio for the health scheme between the Centre and State should be 60:40, it is actually 25:75 as the State bears expenditure for around 1.12 crore families while the Centre is only funding the expenses of 69 lakh families as listed under the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data,' he said in the letter. Of the total AB-ArK beneficiaries, the State has around 15.12 lakh families with senior citizens as members. Of these, 9.22 lakh are SECC-identified families (tagged families), and the remaining are over and above the SECC-identified families (untagged families). 'The Centre will provide the State with additional support at the rate of a mere ₹75.7 per family per annum for tagged families and ₹1,052 per family per annum for the untagged families. However, additional support to the untagged families will be provided only after the 69 lakh families out of 1.12 crore total families are tagged,' the letter stated. NHA's letter In response to this, L.S. Changsan, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority (NHA) that is the implementing agency for AB PM-JAY, said the additional premium for existing beneficiary families determined at ₹75.7 per family per annum covers the additional top-up wallet of ₹5 lakh, which is utilised only after the primary wallet of the family is exhausted. For new beneficiary families, the annual premium of ₹1,052 per family aligns with the existing premium structure under AB PM-JAY, the NHA CEO's letter stated. 'Based on the consultations with States in July 2024 and the inputs received subsequently, the principles for tagging are being finalised. The identification of existing families and new families will be done based on these principles. However, the State may start providing the services to the Ayushman Vay Vandana card holders and tagging activity will be completed before fund release proposals for the ABVV are due,' the letter said. No definitive mechanism However, Karnataka's Finance Department has not agreed to this. 'In the absence of any definite mechanism to link the AB-ArK beneficiaries with the actual SECC data, as per the next best approximation worked out by the State Health Department, Karnataka will require a total of ₹68.98 crore per annum for the senior citizens scheme. As the Centre has to provide 60% of this amount to the State, Karnataka is entitled to get ₹36.58 crore from the Centre. We are now planning to place this issue before the State Cabinet for further discussion,' Mr. Harsh Gupta told The Hindu.
Hans India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Govt to present 100-day report card on May 31
New Delhi: The Delhi government, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, is preparing to unveil a comprehensive report highlighting its achievements during the first 100 days in office. The report will be made public on May 31, following the government's 100th day in power on May 30. This milestone comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in Delhi after a gap of 27 years. In the February 2025 Assembly elections, the party secured a decisive mandate, winning 48 out of 70 seats. Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Chief Minister on February 20, at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders. The report card is expected to focus on key initiatives launched across several priority sectors: In healthcare, the government has introduced 38 Ayushman Arogya Mandir clinics across the city, aimed at enhancing access to quality medical services for all. In the area of social welfare, a scholarship scheme was launched for Dalit students to support their education, while senior citizens have been registered under the newly introduced 'Vay Vandana' scheme. To promote women's empowerment, the government allocated ₹5,100 crore for a financial assistance program, providing ₹2,500 per month to eligible women, thereby supporting household incomes and promoting economic the infrastructure front, 400 'Devi' buses were deployed to improve last-mile connectivity, and 1,111 GPS-enabled water tankers were introduced to address water scarcity in underserved localities. Under environmental initiatives, a pollution control plan has been rolled out, focusing on improving air quality and cleaning the Yamuna river as part of a broader sustainability agenda. In addition to these major programs, the administration has prioritized improvement of public services. A 20-day citywide cleanliness drive resulted in the cleaning of over 3,500 kilometers of roads and the removal of large-scale encroachments. Upgradation works are also underway in government schools and hospitals, alongside ongoing road repairs and sanitation efforts.
