Transgenders To Get Holistic Health Services Under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

New Delhi: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on Wednesday (August 24) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Authority (NHA) for providing a comprehensive medical package to transgender persons under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

MoU was signed by secretary R. Subrahmanyam, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and R.S. Sharma Chief executive officer National Health Authority, under the Ministry of Health and family welfare in the presence of Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment and Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

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On this occasion, Union Minister Virendra Kumar said that this joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Social Welfare and Empowerment is the first of its kind in the country and will not only give a new direction to our society but also provide transgender persons rightful and respectable place in the society.

The Minister said that under this medical health package, a special “Ayushman Bharat TG Plus” card is being provided for the transgender society by linking the SMILE scheme with the “Ayushman Bharat Scheme” of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, under which more than 50 health facilities are being provided.

Benefits will be given free of cost. Going a step further for the Transgender society, provision has been made for cosmetic surgery under this card. India will be the first country in the world to provide free-of-cost facilities like cosmetic surgery to the transgender community under a government scheme.

Simultaneously, a person belonging to a transgender society from any state, or any part of India will be able to take advantage of this card in any hospital affiliated with Ayushman Bharat.

Also Read: Trans People Can Register Themselves, Get Benefits: UP Government Plan

Mr. Mandaviya said that today’s MoU between the National Health Authority (NHA) and the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE) will extend all healthcare benefits to transgender persons (holding a transgender certificate issued by the National Portal for transgender persons) across the country. MoSJE will fund Rs.5 lakh insurance cover per transgender beneficiary per annum.

A comprehensive package master is being prepared for the transgender category including the existing AB PM-JAY packages and specific packages (Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and treatment) for transgenders. They will be eligible to seek treatment in any of the AB PM-JAY empanelled hospitals across the country, where specific packages are available. The scheme would cover all transgender persons not receiving such benefits from other centres/state-sponsored schemes.

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is providing identity cards to the people of the transgender society by registering them at the central level, provision of scholarship has been made, transgender protection cells are being set up, skill development programs are being done as well as provision has also been made for the Transgender society for a “comprehensive medical health package”.

Senior officials from both two ministries and members of the transgender community were also present at the event.

Also Read: India’s First National Conclave Of Transgenders Held In New Delhi

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.