Transgender persons to get composite health services under AB- PMJAY
NHA signs MoU with Dept of Social Justice and Empowerment
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment to provide an inclusive and composite health package for transgender persons under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY.
The MoU was signed by Dr RS Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority (NHA) and R Subramanyam, Secretary DoSJE in presence of Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Dr Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya hailed this MoU as one of its kind in the country which will give impetus to ensuring a rightful and respectable place for the transgender community by accessing healthcare services under AB-PMJAY.
“This MOU has laid the foundation for a landmark transformational reform in the society. The move which provides special healthcare benefits to the Transgender Community goes beyond ensuring equality for the disadvantaged community,” he highlighted. Noting that the transgender community suffers stigma and exclusion, he stressed that the provisioning of healthcare services under AB- PMJAY is a significant and firm step towards an inclusive society. “It is only apt that the MOU is being signed at Dr Ambedkar International Centre today, as he championed for an inclusive society with equality across all population groups in the country,” Dr Mandaviya stated.
Dr Mandaviya said that the MoU between the National Health Authority (NHA) and the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE) will extend all healthcare benefits to transgender persons (holding a transgender certificate issued by the National Portal for transgender persons) across the country. MoSJE will fund Rs.5 lakh insurance cover per transgender beneficiary per annum. A comprehensive package master is being prepared for the transgender category including the existing AB PM-JAY packages and specific packages (Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and treatment) for transgenders. The scheme would cover all transgender persons not receiving such benefits from other centres/state-sponsored schemes.
