CM launches awareness drive on upgraded YSR Aarogyasri

Hyderabad: Chief Minister YS 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 kicked off Aarogyasri smart cards distribution. People with an annual income up to Rs 5 lakh will be eligible for this benefit.

This scheme, he said, would benefit 1.5 crore families and 4.2 crore individuals. Reacting to this the opposition TDP said this means that almost 50 percent of the people in the state were earning an income of only Rs 5 lakh per annum. This speaks volumes of the governance in the last four-and-a-half years, they said.

However, the chief minister said the campaign would address the scheme and how to avail it, along with downloading the Aarogyasri app by beneficiary family. Following the Cabinet approval, he said, "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. 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.