India News | Guj Govt Allows MA, MA-Vatsalya Cards for COVID-19 Treatment

Ahmedabad, May 12 (PTI) In a relief to people from lower income groups in Gujarat, the state government allowed them to use their Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA) cards and MA- Vatsalya cards to avail free COVID-19 treatment up to Rs 50,000 at private hospitals.

The decision to allow state government-issued MA and MA-Vatsalya cards for coronavirus treatment at private hospitals was taken by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani during a meeting with the core group of the state government, an official release said on Wednesday.

Now, MA or MA-Vatsalya card holders in the state can avail free coronavirus treatment up to Rs 50,000 at private hospitals in the ceiling of Rs 5,000 for maximum 10 days, it said, adding that the relief would remain in effect till July 10.

This decision would benefit around 80 lakh families, whose members were issued such cards by the government, the release added.

The state government issues MA cards to those belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category in the state so that the beneficiaries can avail cashless treatment for a number of critical illnesses at private hospitals.

The MA-Vatsalya cards, which offer similar benefits, are issued to the people from lower income group having an annual income of less than Rs 3 lakh.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)