New Delhi, 23 September (H.S.):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday highlighted the achievements of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare initiative as it completed eight years, underlining its objective of making quality and affordable healthcare accessible to every citizen. He said more than 60 crore beneficiaries now have access to annual health coverage of up to Rs. 5 lakh.

In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister said Ayushman Bharat was launched eight years ago with the vision of ensuring that every Indian could access high-quality and affordable medical care. He noted that the scheme is providing crores of citizens with annual health coverage of up to Rs. 5 lakh.

PM Modi said Ayushman Bharat has enabled substantial savings on medical expenses and has particularly benefited poor and middle-class families. The initiative, he said, has helped reduce the financial burden associated with the treatment of serious illnesses for economically vulnerable families.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the progress made in bringing healthcare services closer to people’s doorsteps. He said Ayushman Arogya Mandirs established across the country are playing an important role in expanding access to primary healthcare. These centres have recorded more than 500 crore visits so far.

He said the expansion of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs has strengthened primary healthcare infrastructure at the grassroots level and made health facilities more accessible to people in their local communities. This has helped broaden the reach of essential healthcare services.

PM Modi said the expansion of Ayushman Bharat is part of broader efforts to make healthcare more accessible and affordable across the country. On the occasion, he also extended his best wishes to all beneficiaries of the scheme.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar