Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday launched an awareness campaign on the upgraded YSR Aarogyasri health scheme which offers free treatment to eligible poor people up to Rs 25 lakh, and also kicked off Aarogyasri smart cards distribution.
The chief minister said the campaign would address the scheme and how to avail it, along with downloading the Aarogyasri app on the mobile phone of each beneficiary family. Following the Cabinet approval, Reddy formally launched the scheme in his camp office.
“Besides distributing the smart cards, people should also be educated on how to get medical treatment for free without spending even a rupee under YSR Aarogyasri. We are launching a great programme today to offer awareness,” the chief minister said, addressing officials across the state. Reddy directed Asha workers, volunteers, women police officers, MLAs, public representatives and others to ensure that at least one person in every household downloads the app, benefiting 1.5 crore families and 4.2 crore individual beneficiaries.
The new Aarogyasri smart cards are equipped with QR codes and other advanced features which bear the electronic health record of an individual beneficiary.
According to the chief minister, the Aarogyasri health scheme has been expanded to cater to 3,257 medical procedures in 2,513 hospitals, which also includes 85 hospitals in Hyderabad, 35 in Bengaluru, 16 in Chennai.
He also noted that as many as 204 non-state hospitals in Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu offer treatment under 716 medical procedures under the health scheme.