Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to enhance healthcare access for women, Odisha’s Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling announced that women in the state will receive an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme starting from February. This initiative aims to provide comprehensive health coverage and is expected to benefit millions of women across the state.
The insurance coverage will be linked to the e-KYC database, ensuring a seamless issuance of insurance cards. This integration will facilitate access to healthcare services in approximately 30,000 hospitals nationwide, significantly expanding the network from the previous 956 hospitals.
“This initiative underscores our commitment to improving healthcare access for women and ensuring gender equity in healthcare provision,” said Mahaling. The scheme, which merges the Gopabandu Jana Arogya and Ayushman Bharat programmes, will also provide Rs 5 lakh coverage for men.
The government has already collated data for one crore families to ensure expansive reach and effective implementation. A central team is actively engaging with the state government to streamline the process and address any technical issues.