Unified health coverage scheme rolled out in Odisha

A unified health coverage scheme combining Ayushman Bharat and ‘Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana’, Odisha’s own health coverage programme, was launched in the State on Friday. Odisha was one among few States that had not implemented Ayushman Bharat scheme as the previous Naveen Patnaik Government had consistently stated that ‘Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana’ was better than the Central scheme. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented the health coverage scheme in 2018, the BJD government did not implement the Jan Arogya Yojana for seven years. “This is a historic moment as the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ and the ‘Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana’ are now being implemented in coordination with the double-engine governments in Odisha.