Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 21 Mar: The Chief Minister Arogya Arunachal Yojana (CMAAY) and the AB-PMJAY have become important lifesavers for many Arunachalis, and many citizens have benefitted from them.
While there have been a few instances where people have complained of hospital authorities not being cooperative with them, a majority of the people have had a positive experience after availing the CMAAY.
An employee of the All India Radio said that the process to register for the scheme was relatively easy. “We got the form from the ASHAs and went to the Bakin Pertin General Hospital in Pasighat,” she said.
The CMAAY has helped several others, including Deepu Nabam, who took to social media to express her gratitude to the state government earlier this month.
“For the last five years, I was undergoing treatment at the NEIGRIHMS, Shillong. Expenses for medicines, surgery and procedure, travelling and accommodations
were overwhelming for people belonging to a middle-class family like mine,” she had posted on Facebook.
She also wrote how the CMAAY and cheap accommodation provided at a hotel helped reduce her expenses.
“Nothing more can be asked by the sick and poor people of the state from its government,” she went on to add.
A government employee at the ICR deputy commissioner’s office, who also availed the insurance for her mother’s medical treatment, said that the entire process went smoothly for her family.
But there are people who say that the scheme can be improved and made more user-friendly. “Many of the citizens are not technology savvy and cannot enrol online. Therefore, the focus should be on the offline mode of enrollment and enrollment camps should be organised in the villages,” said a citizen.
People also complained that the empanelled hospitals are often not cooperative. “Majority of hospitals want quick payment and therefore do not give much importance to patients if they avail CMAAY and AB-PMJAY. The authorities need to issue a stern warning to hospitals in this regard and ensure that they treat patients well,” he added.
Meanwhile, an official of the CMAAY informed that people can visit the websites www.cmaay.com and www.pmjay.gov.in, and can also call the toll-free number 18002335558 to avail the benefits.
