What is Mukhyamantri Amrutam(MA) Yojana?
MA Yojana was launched in 2012 in Gujarat to provide timely medical treatment and financial assistance for medical emergencies to families below the poverty line (BPL) with an annual income of 1.5 lakh or less.
Once enrolled, the beneficiary and their families could avail of free treatment with the help of an issued card. This card popularly known as the MA Amrutam card comes with a QR code that contains all the key information.
Seeing its effectiveness, MA Yojana was soon expanded to include lower-middle-class income group families under the name of Mukhyamantri Amrutum Vatsalya Yojana. It now covers all families with an annual income of up to 4 lakh.
In 2018 the central government launched a universal healthcare program on similar lines called Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of up to 5 lakh per family.
Today PMJAY-MA combined have become a health insurance program fully financed by the government that provides cashless medical support towards diagnosis, treatment, hospitalisation and surgery in the state of Gujarat. By combining the schemes the government of Gujarat can provide a wider range of benefits to those registered.
Key Features of PMJAY-MA(Formerly MA Yojana)
Some of the key features of the PMJAY-MA Yojana are:
- Coverage: Up to Rs. 5 lakh per family annually, for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation, in public and private empanelled hospital
- Duration of treatment: Covers 3-day pre-hospitalisation and 15-day post-hospitalisation expenses including medication and diagnostics.
- Cashless treatment:Beneficiaries can avail of cashless treatment at any empanelled hospital in Gujarat.
- Pre-existing conditions:No exclusion for pre-existing conditions.
- Family coverage:The scheme covers all members of the beneficiary family, including spouse, dependent children, and parents.
- Inclusion: Covers almost 2000 procedures and all costs related to treatment, including medicine, supplies, diagnostic tests, doctor’s fees, room charges, OT & surgeon charges, ICU charges etc.
- Access: Benefits are available across all empanelled hospitals. Private hospitals are reimbursed at par with public hospitals
Diseases and Treatments Covered Under Mukhyamantri Amrutum Yojana(now PMJAY-MA):
The cover provided under the PMJAY-MA Yojana is exhaustive and includes over 1900 procedures. These include all the key specialities of medicine, some of which are listed below.
- General medicine and surgery
- Renal Treatment and surgery
- Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular ailments
- Cardiothoracic & vascular surgery
- Nephrology
- Organ transplant
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery
- Burns and plastic surgery
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Neonatal and Post Natal issues
- Interventional Neuroradiology
- Orthopaedics and Polytrauma
- Paediatric surgery
- Oncology and Surgical Oncology (Cancer treatment)
- Radiation Oncology
- Hip and Knee Replacement
- Mental disorder packages
- Emergency room packages
Benefits of PMJAY-MA(Formerly MA Yojana)
The government has done away with the usual limitations of insurance that come along with healthcare plans and this makes PMJAY-MA Yojana stand above all the other insurance plans. It covers all pre-existing ailments and includes all family members on a floater basis without restriction on gender or age. The cover of 5 lakh rupees can be used for the treatment of one family member or by different members for various healthcare requirements.
The benefits include almost all aspects of medical treatment such as
- Medicine and medical consumables
- Pre-hospitalization care and expenses up to 3 days
- Medical examination, treatment and consultation
- Non-intensive and intensive care services
- Diagnostic and laboratory investigations
- Any complications arising during treatment
- Post-hospitalization follow-up care up to 15 days
- Medical implantation services (where necessary)
- Accommodation benefits
- Food services
Eligibility for PMJAY-MA or Mukhyamantri Amrutam Yojana:
In keeping with the original objective of providing quality healthcare to those in financially difficult situations, PMJAY-MA caters to families below the poverty line and those with an annual income of less than 4 lakh rupees. Below is a detailed breakdown of the eligibility to enrol and avail of the MA Amrutam card.
- Families with an annual income of 4 lakh rupees or less
- Families identified as categories D1, D2, D3, D4, D5 & D7 by the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) in 2011 based on various factors such as housing, land ownership and occupation.
- Other family/household criteria
- Households without shelter.
- Households with no adult male member between ages 16-59.
- Households with disabled members and no able-bodied adult member.
- Landless households who draw their income from manual casual labour.
- SC/ST households.
- Government employees and pensioners in the state of Gujarat irrespective of their SECC
- Residents of government Mahila Ashram, senior citizens of government old age homes, students from government Ashram Shala and children from government orphanages.
- Construction workers and their families registered with the Maharashtra Building & other construction worker welfare
- Workers possessing Unorganised Workers Identification Number (UWIN) card
- Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) personnel from households listed below the poverty line and whose information is available on the district BPL list made by the Gujarat government’s rural and urban development departments
- Government appointed Class 3 and Class 4 employees with fixed salaries
- Senior citizens from households with an annual income of 6 lakh rupees.
Criterion for Non-Eligibility
- Families already covered under other government health insurance schemes like ESIS or CGHS.
- Families with an annual income exceeding the government limit
- Individuals or families owning more than 5 acres of agricultural land, a four-wheeler, motorized fishing boat, or mechanised farming equipment.
- Individuals or families with a Kisan card with a credit limit of Rs. 50,000 or more.
- Individuals employed by the government or government-managed non-agricultural enterprises, or with a monthly income exceeding Rs. 10,000.
- Individuals or families owning a refrigerator or landline phone or living in “decent, solidly built houses.”
How to Apply for PMJAY-MA or Mukhyamantri Amrutam Yojana?
Online:
To check if you are eligible for PMJAY-MA Yojana and can register for the MA Amrutam Card benefits, log in on the official website using your mobile number and follow the on-screen instructions for registration.
(or)
Offline:
At the Hospital
- Visit any empanelled hospital i in Gujarat.
- Approach the hospital’s helpdesk or registration counter.
- Inform them about your interest in applying for PMJAY-MA Yojana.
- The hospital staff will assist you with the application process and collect the necessary documents.
- Submit the completed application form and documents.
- On processing and verification of the forms, the beneficiary will receive the MA Amrutum card, a leaflet with details of the plan, and a list of empanelled hospitals. Once these documents are received the enrolment process is complete.
Through Government Kiosks
- Visit the government kiosk at the taluka or civic centre of your area. The enrolment process can also be completed at the mobile kiosks locally.
- Inquire about the enrolment form for PMJAY-MA Yojana or Mukhyamantri Amrutam Vatsalya Yojana.
- Complete the application form in Gujarati with accurate information.
- On processing and verification of the forms, the beneficiary will receive the MA Amrutum card, a leaflet with details of the plan, and a list of empanelled hospitals. Once these documents are received the enrolment process is complete.
How does a PHR app help in PMJAY-MA or MA Amrutam Yojana?
PMJAY-MA Yojana also falls under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM network) by the government. With a vision to make quality healthcare accessible to all, especially those in rural or under-served areas, ABDM is an attempt to connect every citizen to robust health infrastructure. To ensure all relevant medical history is accessible at the time of treatment ABDM relies on PHR apps (Personal Health Record). PHRs enable beneficiaries to save, manage and view their medical records digitally. Instead of carrying large folios and sometimes misplacing relevant papers, having ready access to all the information improves both coordination and treatment between patients and healthcare providers. PHR apps can store lab reports, treatment histories, prescriptions, discharge summaries and immunisation to vaccination records.
PHR App like Health-e is your very own digital health locker that helps you access all your medical history at a glance in a safe and secure manner. You can digitise and store a wide variety of documents online for free on Health-e, including lab reports, medical records, insurance information, immunisation records, medication and details of any chronic illnesses you may have. Any of this information can be shared with your healthcare providers through the ABHA health ID card for a seamless claim process as well.
To avail the benefits of having all your medical history at your fingertips, safe and accessible at all times download the Health-e app today. With easy navigation and search within the app, you can sort all your data by date or treatment. Download Now and you will never have to worry about losing any lab report or prescription again.
Conclusion
With schemes like PMJAY-MA, the government is trying to connect every citizen, especially the marginalised sections of society, to quality healthcare and infrastructure. Access to quality healthcare results in improved quality of life and increased productivity in the nation. Enrol and register today to access the benefits of this scheme. Help ease the burden of medical treatment on you and your family.
The government is working for our benefit and now it is upon us to utilise all that it offers. After all, only when we are strong and healthy can we work together for process and growth.
