Assam govt rolls out cashless healthcare facility for govt staffers

Guwahati, Oct 30 (PTI) The Assam government has rolled out a cashless treatment facility under a flagship scheme for lakhs of employees, pensioners and their dependents.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rolled out the cashless facility under the 'Ayushman Asom Mukhya Mantri Lok Sevak Arogya Yojana' (AA-MMLSAY) on Wednesday evening.

Under the new facility, the beneficiaries will now be able to avail cashless medical services not only in select empanelled hospitals within Assam but also in leading corporate hospitals across the country. Till now, the scheme, which was launched in 2023, has had only a reimbursement facility.

"Now, employees and pensioners can receive treatment first without worrying about funds. To ensure that no employee faces inconvenience during the transition, the government has decided to continue the old reimbursement system in parallel," he added.

Stating that 2,23,826 employees and 6,172 pensioners have registered under the scheme so far, the CM said that registration under this scheme can be done anytime.

"The reimbursements are made as per CGHS rates and the Assam government adopts the revised CGHS rates as soon as they are updated by the central government, ensuring parity in health benefits between central and state government employees," he added.

Sarma pointed out that, unlike Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana, which depends on government funding, the MMLSAY is self-sustaining as it is funded through contributions made by employees themselves.

He said that since the launch of the scheme in October 2023, a total of Rs 65 crore has been reimbursed to employees and pensioners.

"Earlier, the annual expenditure on medical reimbursement stood at around Rs 17-18 crore. The latest figures indicate that the expenditure has nearly doubled, reflecting the expanded coverage and improved efficiency of the system," Sarma said.

He estimated that the total number of beneficiaries could reach 7-8 lakh in due course and assured that the government would continue to strengthen and upgrade the scheme to better serve employees in times of need.

The CM also said that the Assam government will soon constitute its own Pay Commission so that state government employees can start availing the benefits from the same date as those announced by the Centre. PTI TR TR ACD