Pune: The state govt has directed all civic bodies and Zilla Parishads to empanel all primary health centres (PHCs) and urban primary health centres (UPHCs) under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY). This move is designed to help citizens access financial benefits for over 2,000 different treatments listed under the scheme at the local PHC level. Annasaheb Chavan, CEO of MJPJAY, said that besides providing patient benefits, the scheme also allocates specific funds for the development and maintenance of these health centres.
Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday, Chavan said, “We have directed all civic bodies and Zilla Parishads to ensure that all PHCs and UPHCs are empanelled under MJPJAY. This will improve the penetration of the scheme and help residents across Maharashtra access better healthcare services. We aim to bring all 2,600+ PHCs and UPHCs in the state under the MJPJAY umbrella. Additionally, the number of covered treatments will increase from 1,300 to 2,000 within the coming week.” Chavan emphasised that the expansion would make medical services more affordable and accessible. Furthermore, the scheme provides a mechanism for infrastructure improvements. “A certain proportion of the funds is earmarked for upgrading healthcare centres. This can be used to improve facilities, including furniture, medical equipment, and other necessary consumables,” he added. In Pune, the implementation is already underway. Suryakant Devkar, assistant health officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), stated that six civic hospitals are currently empanelled. “In addition to the hospital attached to our medical college and Kamala Nehru Hospital, we have six other facilities under the scheme. Following the state govt’s instructions, we will soon begin the empanelment process for all UPHCs to ensure patients receive the best possible treatment locally,” Devkar said. The state govt has taken several significant steps recently to broaden the reach of MJPJAY. These include urging charity hospitals to join the scheme, creating a corpus fund, and increasing the coverage cap for critical procedures like organ transplants to Rs20 lakh. Since July 2023, MJPJAY has provided universal health coverage to all citizens of Maharashtra, offering end-to-end cashless medical services for identified secondary and tertiary diseases requiring hospitalisation. Under the scheme, each family is eligible for health coverage of Rs5 lakh per year on a “family floater” basis. The scheme covers 34 medical specialties and includes all pre-existing diseases from day one. Beneficiaries can avail of these cashless treatments at any govt or private network hospital listed on the official MJPJAY website.
