ASHA workers, drivers, domestic help, and electricians — they were among the first 19 beneficiaries from Delhi who were handed over Ayushman Bharat cards under the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme by Union Health Minister J P Nadda and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at Vigyan Bhawan Thursday.
While some looked forward to undergoing surgical procedures using the insurance card, others wanted to know how they could utilise it, at which hospitals, and by when.
The Indian Express spoke to five beneficiaries.
Anusaya Behra (54), Shalimar Bagh
An ASHA worker, Anusaya received a call from her senior asking her to visit Vigyan Bhawan to get her Ayushman Bharat card.
A resident of Rohini, she and her husband Pradeep live with their son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. It’s a challenge for her to make ends meet as her husband is ill and her son is unemployed.
“My husband fell ill during the Covid pandemic and recently contracted chikungunya. Since then, he has been unable to walk and has left his job. So, I run the household,” she says.
Anusaya earns Rs 3,000 a month and works overtime to earn extra money. “How can we think about going to a good doctor?” she asks.
Last year, when Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Budget that the scheme will provide an annual coverage of Rs 5 lakh to ASHA workers, Anusaya was told residents of Delhi are not eligible for the scheme. “But now, if anyone in my family requires treatment, I can take them to a private hospital.”
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However, she is not sure how to use the card. “But I’ll find out.”
Laxmi Devi (51), Vikaspuri
Laxmi, who works as a domestic help, urgently needs to undergo surgery to treat hemorrhoids. She recently visited a private clinic and was told the surgery would cost her Rs 30,000. “My husband died years ago and my son is a daily wage worker. We cannot afford this,” she says.
On Thursday, after getting her Ayushman Bharat card, she visited the same private clinic but was told to wait, as the service is yet to begin.
“The first thing I will do is get the surgery done so I can work… I am not educated and my son has studied till Class 5 only. We do not know how to access such services,” she says.
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“I hope this card works as soon as possible,” she adds.
Archana Kumari (34), Rohini
Archana received a call from Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta’s office on Thursday asking her and her husband Rahul Raj to pick up their Ayushman Bharat card.
“My husband earns Rs 15,000 per month working as a driver. How can we think of going to a private hospital for treatment,” asks Archana, while wanting to know how she can use the card and how many people are covered under the scheme.
Archana has two children — a 5-year-old daughter and a one-and-a-half-year-old son. “My daughter was born at my village in Bihar and my son in a small private hospital in Haryana,” she says, adding that she did not go to a government hospital in Delhi, as she had to wait in queues during her ante-natal check-ups. “Also, private hospitals are so expensive in Delhi.”
Nanno Begum (60), Chandni Chowk
Nanno had undergone surgery for kidney stones at a private hospital in Daryaganj in 2022. It cost her Rs 70,000. With her pain persisting, her doctor has suggested she undergo another surgery.
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“I wanted to have the surgery but do not have money,” she says, adding that she spent all her savings on her treatment. Nanno visited Lok Nayak Hospital but was told she had to wait for months to undergo surgery there.
Praising the BJP government, her son Raja, a daily wage worker, says he is relieved he will now be able to take his parents for treatment whenever required. “The BJP has thought about poor people.” He, however, doesn’t know what kind of treatment is covered under the scheme and which hospitals he can approach.
Santosh Kumar (43), Rohini
Santosh’s 10-year-old daughter is suffering from stomach pain. “We consulted a doctor at Ambedkar Hospital, who said to get an ultrasound but we did not have money for the test,” he says.
An electrician by profession, Santosh says his mother, too, has to undergo surgery for a neurological issue, which will cost him around Rs 50,000 at a private hospital. “I could not pay this amount and thus did not visit the hospital again.”
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Santosh says he barely earns Rs 15,000 a month. “I have two school-going children, a wife and a mother to support. I cannot think of taking health insurance on my own. Who will pay the premium,” he asks.
On Wednesday, an ASHA worker visited him and said he could visit Vigyan Bhawan to collect his Ayushman card. “This is a big opportunity for me… I am happy the government has thought about people like us,” he says.