India News | Odisha's Smart Health Card is Friend in Need: Patnaik

Baripada (Odisha), Oct 22 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday said as many as 21.40 lakh people in the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district would benefit from the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) Smart Card scheme.

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Expressing hope that the initiative will usher in a new era in the sector, the chief minister described it as a “real friend” in times of crisis.

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Patnaik said this here while launching the distribution of the smart health cards for Mayurbhanj district, the biggest among the 30 districts of Odisha.

The programme has so far been launched in nine districts.

Patnaik who personally handed over the cards to eight beneficiaries said that September 2021 marked a new era in the history of the health sector in Odisha as the BSKY started providing health services through smart health cards since September 1.

The chief minister said that three and a half crore people from 96 lakh households in the state would benefit from smart health cards.

Highlighting the significance of the smart health cards, Patnaik said: “It pains me when I came to know that people have to sell their property or bring an end to the education of their children without finding any other way for the treatment of a family member.”

"Now people can get better treatment at 200 major hospitals across the country by just producing these cards."

Emphasising that every life is precious, the chief minister said Odisha is the only state where the state government bears all the expenses from testing to treatment for all patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the visit, Patnaik also inaugurated and laid the foundation of projects worth over Rs 2,000 crore in different sectors like drinking water, irrigation, health, and others.

He said 15,000 hectares of land in 94 villages were receiving water from the canal in the Subarnarekha Irrigation Project since July this year.

Patnaik also said that a mega piped water project worth Rs 3,200 crore is being implemented to help the people of Mayurbhanj.

The chief minister's one-day visit, however, witnessed black flag demonstrations by the opposition BJP demanding dismissal of state minister D S Mishra over Kalahandi lady teacher's kidnap and murder case, while JMM activists protested against what they termed as “dismal healthcare service” in Mayurbhanj district.

Three BJP workers were injured and admitted to a hospital after they were assaulted allegedly by BJD activists, police said.

JMM Odisha unit president and party supremo Sibu Soren's daughter Anjani Soren and some of her party leaders were detained for some time at Bangiriposi police station while they were on way to Baripada town.

They were detained as a preventive measure in view of the chief minister's visit to the district headquarters town.

(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)