Ayushman Bharat: Health and wellness centre a booster dose for Chhattisgarh

The third of the four-part series looks at the readiness for Ayushman Bharat in Chhattisgarh, a state which took the lead in the initiative

In the dead of a shivering winter night two years ago, Sammaiyya Cherpa of Pamed village in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh’s worst insurgency-hit district, developed serious chest congestion, culminating in acute respiratory problems. He was rushed to the nearest hospital about 60 kms away in Bhadrachalam in the neighbouring state of Telangana.

The 60-year-old farm labourer, whose village lies in the “liberated zone” of the Naxalites, was admitted to a private hospital for his lung infection. When his relatives presented his health card, the hospital authorities in Telangana refused to accept it.

The card had been issued under the Chhattisgarh government’s ambitious health insurance