Ayushman Bharat vs Aarogyasri

New Delhi: If the words of Health Minister Eatala Rajender are any indication then the Centre it seems is very keen on its Ayushman Bharat scheme implementation in Telangana.

Elaborating details of his meeting with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in New Delhi, Rajender said that the Centre was asking Telangana to implement Ayushman Bharat in the State.

He also stressed that Aarogyasri, the health insurance scheme being implemented in Telangana, was better than the Central scheme.

While the NDA government has been able to bring various states under its health insurance scheme, Telangana has been an exception and distanced itself from it.

From Day 1 since announcement of this scheme was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his cabinet colleagues have reiterated on many occasions that Aarogyasri was comparatively superior to Ayushman Bharat.

However, the NDA government has not given up and hence the issue has been figuring in whatever discussions being held between the Centre and the State as far as Health is concerned.

Rajender stated that the Centre has been requested to extend its assistance to Telangana on five issues that cater to the State's needs.

Telangana has requested the Centre to consider establishing two or three medical colleges in the State while it implements its decision to start 75 new medical colleges across the country for improving public healthcare.

According to Rajender, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told him that he would try to allocate two or three medical colleges for Telangana.

Khammam, Karimanagar, Sangareddy, Manchiryal, Bhadrachalam, Bhupalpalli, Tandur or Vikarabad are the places that have been shortlisted for the new government medical colleges and DPRs will be soon sent and it is up to the Centre to choose two or three places from among them, he said.

Rajender said that the Centre was requested to allot two Super-specialty blocks and preference would be for Osmania, Gandhi and Niloufer to establish them.

For Regional Cancer centres, Adilabad and Warangal names have been suggested. Also, the Union health ministry's assistance was sought for setting up of 11 Trauma care centres on different national highways.