Karnataka to distribute 1 croreAyushman Bharat cards by December to ensure access to affordable healthcare

Bengaluru, November 16, 2022:

Karnataka government is now working to distribute over 1 croreAyushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka (AB-ARK) cards, which cover 50% of the eligible population in the state, by December.

One crore cards have been prepared in a very short period of time. Karnataka has emerged as a model state in the whole country in terms of distributing Ayushman Bharat cards. Ayushman Bharat cards will be distributed soon to all eligible people, said Karnataka health and family welfare minister Dr K Sudhakar.

Our state has been proactive in extending its healthcare services and providing the best possible health coverage to all its residents. With the aim of Universal Health Coverage, the government launched the Arogya Karnataka scheme on March 2, 2018, to provide free and cashless primary, secondary & tertiary health care for all the BPL patients with a family floater limit of Rs. 2 lakhs per year for one family and 30% subsidised co-payment package to APL (above the poverty line) patients in higher government and empaneled private hospitals. This ensures families are protected from catastrophic health expenditure. The scheme provided coverage for 1530 in patient procedures, he added.

Chikkabalapur, Haveri and Bangaluru Rural districts have performed exceedingly well and registrations have already reached around 1/3rd of their target population.

The Health Department officials are campaigning and educating people to register for the cards. As of November 11, 2022 registration of one crore cards has been successfully completed. Such a significant achievement is due to the joint efforts of District Collectors, ZillaPanchayat Chief Executive Officers, District Health Officers and District Leprosy Department officers, the Minister said.

The continuous effort of the Directorate of Electronic Delivery of Citizen Services (EDCS) is making sure to reach the daily target in Gram One centers. Large scale camps are also being organized for this. Operators are working non-stop from 6 am to 11 pm despite many technical issues. Along with door-to-door registration campaigns, technical hurdles are being resolved with the help of NHA,s aid that the aim of the government is to distribute Ayushman Bharat- Arogya Karnataka cards to all eligible people by next March, he said.

With the objective of providing healthcare facilities to all, the state government had launched the Arogya Karnataka scheme on March 2, 2018. Under this scheme, treatment was provided at the primary, secondary and tertiary level hospitals at a subsidized rate uptoRs 2 lakh per year for BPL families and 30% of the entire cost for APL families. At the same time, the central government launched its ambitious project of Universal Health Coverage with the same objective, Sudhakar said.

As the national scheme was more comprehensive and beneficial, the scheme was implemented under the name `Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka'. These cards will be distributed to all 5.09 crore eligible citizens. AB-PMJAY is a national scheme and registration process is going on in every state. The minister said that they have also started a campaign to create co-branded cards

Coverage through the integration was Rs. 5 lakhs per family/ annum on family floater basis for the eligible family members or below the poverty line (BPL) with 100% coverage. The Rs. 1.5 lakhs per family/ annum on family floater basis for the general family members of the above the poverty line (APL) is with 30% co-payment.Pharmabiz