Free Community Health Camps Organized by Special Medical Aid Cell of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ Office

Mumbai, Dt. 18: In celebration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17, a series of free community health camps have been organized under the Special Medical Aid Cell of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ office. These camps will be held from September 17 to October 17, 2024.

Around 1,500 hospitals will participate in these community health camps. The initiative will be conducted in collaboration with various departments, including Medical Education, Public Health, Urban Development, Rural Development, the Charity Commissioner’s Office, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Niramay Seva Foundation, charitable hospitals and institutions, medical associations, government medical colleges, and public participation.

More than 25,000 camps are being set up across slums and underprivileged areas, with a target of screening around 4 million citizens. The Medical Aid Room of the Deputy Chief Minister’s Office has urged as many citizens as possible to take advantage of these camps, which will operate from September 1 to October 31, 2024, between 8:30 AM and 12:30 PM.

In addition to patient check-ups, the camps will offer 59 types of blood tests, ECGs, and the distribution of necessary medications. The Ayushman Bharat Scheme’s ‘Abha Card’ will also be distributed during these camps. If any diseases are diagnosed, patients will be treated under government health schemes. A ‘State Level Special Medical Help Room’ will be coordinated under the Deputy Chief Minister’s office to facilitate this process. This initiative has been providing increasing medical assistance, with Rs. 13 crore in financial aid distributed to needy patients within the last eight months.

Through the Deputy Chief Minister’s Special Medical Aid Room, critical and otherwise unaffordable treatments for diseases such as heart conditions, cancer, and liver transplants are being provided at charitable hospitals. The Special Medical Aid Cell is actively working to offer free or subsidized treatment to patients from poor and vulnerable sections of society.

It is mandatory for charitable hospitals to reserve 10 percent of their total beds for free treatment of indigent patients, and another 10 percent for subsidized treatment for patients from weaker sections. To ensure more people benefit from free and discounted treatment, the annual income limit for eligibility has been increased to Rs. 1.8 lakh for poor patients and Rs. 3.6 lakh for those from weaker sections. This ensures that no patient from these groups is deprived of treatment.

For more information on how to access free or discounted treatment, citizens can contact the toll-free numbers 1800 123 2211 or 022-22020045, provided by the Deputy Chief Minister’s office.