Dharmendra Pradhan seeks evidence from Naveen Patnaik over claims on state-run health scheme, says Odisha CM's statement 'misleading'

Bhubaneswar: Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s claim that one crore cases have been attended to under a state-run health scheme was misleading.

Patnaik, following a review of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) scheme on Saturday, had said the scheme “benefitted over one crore cases” within 60 days of its launch.

Seeking evidence from Patnaik over his claim, Pradhan said the BJD government was providing incorrect information to the people of the state. “How come one crore cases have been registered under the BSKY scheme within 60 days when the total number of people who visit government hospitals in a year is much less than 1 crore?” the Union Petroleum Minister contended.

“Afraid of Narendra Modi’s popularity, Patnaik rejected the Ayushman Bharat programme. The government is misleading the people of Odisha over BSKY,” Pradhan said.

The Odisha government launched the BSKY scheme on 15 August after refusing to implement the Centre’s flagship health programme ‘Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana’.

Pradhan claimed that the healthcare system in Odisha is in a “bad shape”.

He said the average number of doctors for every one lakh people in the state has fallen to nine from eleven. “While ICUs are available in only 12 out of 30 district headquarter hospitals, 112 health centres in Odisha still don’t have electricity. Also, infant mortality rate here is among the highest in the country,” Pradhan said.

Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena dismissed Pradhan’s allegations and said it was an attempt to “divert attention from the BJP’s failures”.

He said the figure given by Patnaik included patients who visited the hospitals on more than one occasion. “The chief minister mentioned that over 1 crore cases were benefited under the scheme from August 15 till date. This number includes patients visiting hospitals either once or multiple times,” he said.

Jena also said the BSKY scheme is “100 times better” than the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat programme.