The BJP-led government in Delhi on Monday launched the Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme, offering free medical treatment up to Rs 10 lakh to citizens aged 70 years across empanelled hospitals.

As part of this scheme, annual medical assistance of up to Rs 5 lakh will be provided free of cost, and in addition to that, a cover of Rs 5 lakh will be provided under the Delhi government’s scheme, which is going to make it a Rs 10 lakh worth health cover for the beneficiaries.

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In an event held in the city on Monday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri distributed the first Vay Vandana cards to the beneficiaries.

As per the scheme, the beneficiaries will be provided with a health card which will have all necessary information regarding the person, and his or her health related details along with emergency information.

Gupta asked all the public representatives to ensure registration of all the senior citizens for the scheme and assured the beneficiaries that in all the hospitals across the country that are affiliated with this scheme, one can get treatment in them as per convenience.

Around 100 hospitals in Delhi and around 3,000 across the country are registered with the scheme, added CM Gupta.

CM Gupta, taking to social media platform X, expressed that it is a  historic moment for Delhi as the scheme Vay Vandan Yojana has now been implemented in the city under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gupta has said that the scheme will ensure senior citizens’ right to a healthy, safe, and dignified life.

Union Minister Hardeep Puri said that a society that cares for its elderly is a humane society, and said that the occasion marks the beginning of a new era of development and prosperity in the national capital.

Puri said that 47 private hospitals in the city are already empanelled, along with ten government hospitals.

He expressed hope that the way CM is working, he hopes that more private hospitals will become a part of this scheme in the near future.

He said he used to feel sad during the Covid pandemic times when discussions used to be held with the then AAP government, and further slammed the Mohalla Clinic model of the previous government.

Puri alleged that Mohalla Clinics were surrounded by different kinds of corruption, including fake testing and dubious medicines.

The minister also took a dig at AAP government and Kejriwal over corruption, and also accused the previous government of stalling central schemes.

Puri said that the previous government also put a lot of resources on advertising, rather than working on actually improving or implementing various schemes.