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The Ayushman Bharat Yojana is the largest government health scheme for low-income families in the country, providing people with free treatment. However, people often wonder which diseases can be treated free of cost using the Ayushman card and whether they can be hospitalized unlimited times throughout the year. Let's understand this in simple terms.

What is the Ayushman Card?

The Ayushman Card was launched in 2018 under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. It is a health card that allows you to receive free treatment up to ₹5 lakh annually at thousands of government and private hospitals across the country.

Easy to Download the Ayushman Card
The biggest advantage of this card is that it requires no agent or queues. The entire process is digital, and the Ayushman card is downloaded instantly. This scheme is specifically for families with low incomes who find it difficult to afford expensive treatment.

How many times a year can you get free treatment?
Many people think that the Ayushman card provides unlimited free treatment throughout the year. In reality, this is not the case.
The rule here is that the card's ₹5 lakh limit applies to the entire family. This means that if there are six members in a family, they can all avail of free treatment up to ₹5 lakh.

However, you can get hospitalized and receive treatment as many times as you wish in a year, but this is only possible until the annual limit of ₹5 lakh is reached.

Which diseases are covered by the Ayushman card?
This plan is extremely beneficial for patients who require hospitalization due to a serious illness. Major treatments covered under the Ayushman Card include:

Heart valve replacement
Double valve replacement
Pacemaker implant
Prostate cancer treatment
Major spine surgery
Skull base surgery
Carotid angioplasty
Corneal transplant
Kidney transplantation

Patients do not need to pay hospital bills for these major treatments. Please note that the Ayushman Card does not cover OPD (Other Disability) services, such as general medicine, X-rays, blood tests, and brief doctor consultations. This card applies only to inpatient treatment.

Who can obtain the Ayushman Card?
The Ayushman Card is for those who are economically vulnerable or work in the unorganized sector. These include:

People working in the unorganized sector
People over 70 years of age
Poor and low-income groups
People who do not receive ESIC benefits
Those who do not pay PF
All such people are considered eligible for this scheme.

How to make an Ayushman Card from home?
The government has simplified the process of making the card so that people can get it without any hassle from the comfort of their homes.
First, visit the scheme's official website, mera.pmjay.gov.in, or the PMJAY/Ayushman app.
Check your eligibility here.
If you are eligible, log in to the app or website.
Now enter your Aadhaar number and enter the OTP received on your mobile.
Click your photo with your mobile camera and submit it.
In a few seconds, your Ayushman Card will be ready and available for download.
If you find the online process difficult, you can also get the card made at your nearest CSC (Common Service Centre). The staff there will check your eligibility, document verification will be done and if everything is correct, your card will be generated immediately.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from NDTV India. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.