Health ministry keen to support CSC village-level entrepreneurs on tele-medicines

Common Service Center (CSC) and National Health Accounts (NHA) signed an MoU to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme through three lakh CSCs across the country here today in the presence of Minister of Electronics & IT and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda.

Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh (per family per year) for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

During the meeting, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Today, I am very happy that CSC Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) are going to be the soldiers of healthcare-Ayushman Bharat in India. The identity and registrations of beneficiaries would be done through CSCs. I would like to congratulate JP Nadda that his ministry has chosen CSCs for the implementation of the largest healthcare scheme of the world.” He said CSCs have become a major instrument of change in rural India.

Praising the efforts of CSCs in improving healthcare, the minister said, “CSCs efforts in Ayushman Bharat would be a game changer in our country. CSCs have done great efforts in improving menstrual hygiene of the country through Stree Swabhiman.” He added,

“With continued support of the policy makers there is little doubt that this initiative will help us in building a new rural India having all facilities of urban India and also create a new team of entrepreneurs capable of being active partners in shaping new India.”

Minister Nadda said, “Today, the dream of Digital India is getting a big leap with Ayushman Bharat. In Ayushman Bharat, 50 crore people will be benefitted with this revolutionary healthcare scheme. The 3 lakh CSCs in 2.5 lakh panchayat will be a great help in the implementation of the scheme,” and added, “I am confident that CSCs will be a big milestone in the access of universal healthcare in our country.”