7 years of Ayushman Bharat: Nanu Bhai's story of knee surgery hogs attention

New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS) As the Ayushman Bharat, one of the flagship schemes of the Modi government, completes seven years of its launch, Gujarat’s Nanu Bhai has come in the spotlight over his free-of-cost knee surgery and also personal ‘counselling’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public event.

Modi Story, a popular social media handle on X, shared the story of Dahod’s Nanu Bhai in which the latter recollects the memories of his excruciating knee pain and the hardships he faced because of exorbitant costs of knee surgery at private hospitals.

Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Nanu Bhai not only got operated free of cost and but also got his transportation expenses reimbursed, a relief he never anticipated.

Before surgery, Nanu Bhai couldn't even walk without support because of severe pain in both knees. After getting the Ayushman card, he underwent knee surgery at a private hospital. He didn't have to pay for the surgery, nor for the medicines, and even the Rs 300 auto fare was reimbursed under the scheme.

In the video, he also shares overwhelming memories of PM Modi’s personal advice to him on staying fit.

“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met him at the event in Dahod, he spent time personally inquiring about his well-being behind the stage. PM Modi even remembered that Nanu Bhai had undergone knee surgery and affectionately said, “Now reduce your weight, only then will you get the full benefit of the surgery,” informs the popular X handle.

Nanu Bhai, overwhelmed with emotion, said, “On that day, Modi ji explained it to me just like my mother used to.”

Notably, the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the world’s largest healthcare scheme was launched on this day in 2018. Under this scheme, millions of people are receiving free health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh. This facility is available not only in government hospitals but also in private ones.

The scheme provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to over 12 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 55 crore beneficiaries), comprising about 40 per cent of the population.

--IANS

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