C.M completes smart health card launch programme in all 30 districts Bhubaneswar

With the culmination of BSKY’s Smart Health Card distribution programme in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday claimed Odisha has created a history in the health care service by making a provision of free of cost treatment for 3.5 crore people.
He said that provision of free of cost treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family and Rs 10 lakh in case of women as an ?achievement? in the history of Odisha’s health service.
Patnaik said: ?The poorest of the poor in the state will now get the best of health treatment in costly hospitals.?
Launching the smart health card under the state’s own Biju Swasthya kalyan Yojana (BSKY) on September 1 from tribal dominated and Maoist-hit Malkangiri district on September 1, Patnaik completed the process at industrial hub of Jajpur district.
?Since inception of the smart health card provision, as many as 2 lakh people have already availed the free of cost health service and the state government has paid Rs 278 crore towards their medical expenditure,? the chief minister said.
Patnaik Wednesday distributed the smart health cards among 11.50 lakh eligible beneficiaries in Kendrapada and 15.40 lakh in Jajpur district. With this, Patnaik covered all 30 districts of Odisha.
Altogether, 3.5 crore people of 96 lakh households of the state have been brought under the ambit of the scheme. ?The BSKY scheme became effective on September 1 and from that day it heralded a new era in the state,? he said.
Noting that every life was precious, whether it was a rickshaw-puller or a fisherman, the focus of his government’s welfare scheme, was to help them lead a respectable life.
On the occasion, Patnaik launched development projects worth Rs 1,500 crore for Kendrapada. ?Industrial development in Kendrapada was long overdue and the state government has inked a pact with ArcelorMittal for the establishment of a steel plant in the district,? he said.
Stating that Kendrapada was close to his legendary father Biju Patnaik’s heart and he considered it his ?Karma Bhumi’, the chief minister also inaugurated several projects worth Rs 2,000 crore for Jajpur district.
He said that all households in Jajpur municipality have been provided with piped water.
?A Rs 1,000 crore project has been started for providing piped water in four other blocks, including Vyasanagar. Similarly, piped water projects are also being implemented for Bari and Korei blocks. By 2024, all households in the district will have access to piped water,? he said.