NEW DELHI: Treatment for Alzheimer's , dementia , heart failure and other illnesses, mostly affecting seniors, may soon get covered under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). At present, AB-PMJAY has around 25 health packages catering to needs of the elderly.
Govt sources said the National Health Authority , which is the implementing agency for AB-PMJAY, is working towards adding more packages that exclusively tend to geriatric care or old-age related ailments as the number of such beneficiaries is likely to go up significantly, with the govt expanding the scheme to include senior citizens, aged 70 and above, irrespective of their income group.
"A committee headed by medical experts reviews health packages under AB-PMJAY regularly. This is a special case though, as focus is one large sub-group that has been included in the scheme. The committee will work towards identifying health issues affecting the seniors, especially those requiring hospitalisation, and try to develop packages so that they can get timely treatment," a source in the health ministry said.
The expansion of AB-PMJAY to include senior citizens will potentially benefit around six crore individuals across 4.5 crore families.
Stroke, heart failure, cancer, Alzheimer's and dementia are some of the common health ailments affecting the elderly. The health ministry official said treatment of these ailments and complications thereof are likely to be addressed in special packages being planned for the elderly.
Dr Prasun Chatterjee, additional medical superintendent at the National Centre for Ageing, told TOI that conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia are fairly common among the elderly and they are also linked to increase risk of infections necessitating hospitalisation. "Acute conditions affecting the elderly include heart failure, fractures, and cancer among others," he said.
Dr Vinay Aggarwal, chairman of the action committee of Indian Medical Association, said, "We often come across elderly people suffering from serious illness or comorbidities who have no support. There are cases in which even their children are reluctant or not available to support them financially for treatment. The govt scheme can certainly help them tide over the crisis, if any," he said. He added that private health insurance is expensive and often reluctant to onboard senior citizens.
AB PM-JAY is the world's largest publicly funded health assurance scheme which was launched in 2018 to provide an annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals of 12.3 crore poor and vulnerable families. The scheme is jointly funded by the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio.
Govt sources said the National Health Authority , which is the implementing agency for AB-PMJAY, is working towards adding more packages that exclusively tend to geriatric care or old-age related ailments as the number of such beneficiaries is likely to go up significantly, with the govt expanding the scheme to include senior citizens, aged 70 and above, irrespective of their income group.
"A committee headed by medical experts reviews health packages under AB-PMJAY regularly. This is a special case though, as focus is one large sub-group that has been included in the scheme. The committee will work towards identifying health issues affecting the seniors, especially those requiring hospitalisation, and try to develop packages so that they can get timely treatment," a source in the health ministry said.
The expansion of AB-PMJAY to include senior citizens will potentially benefit around six crore individuals across 4.5 crore families.
Stroke, heart failure, cancer, Alzheimer's and dementia are some of the common health ailments affecting the elderly. The health ministry official said treatment of these ailments and complications thereof are likely to be addressed in special packages being planned for the elderly.
Dr Prasun Chatterjee, additional medical superintendent at the National Centre for Ageing, told TOI that conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia are fairly common among the elderly and they are also linked to increase risk of infections necessitating hospitalisation. "Acute conditions affecting the elderly include heart failure, fractures, and cancer among others," he said.
Dr Vinay Aggarwal, chairman of the action committee of Indian Medical Association, said, "We often come across elderly people suffering from serious illness or comorbidities who have no support. There are cases in which even their children are reluctant or not available to support them financially for treatment. The govt scheme can certainly help them tide over the crisis, if any," he said. He added that private health insurance is expensive and often reluctant to onboard senior citizens.
AB PM-JAY is the world's largest publicly funded health assurance scheme which was launched in 2018 to provide an annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals of 12.3 crore poor and vulnerable families. The scheme is jointly funded by the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio.
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