WTN- The COVID-19 pandemic, which has presented challenges for several nations, could be an "opportunity" for India to speed up the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat, especially with a focus on primary healthcare, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said. WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus was responding to a question on the COVID-19 situation in India, where the number of coronavirus cases is increasing rapidly. "Of course COVID is very unfortunate and it's challenging for many nations but we need to look for opportunities too.

For instance for India, this could be an opportunity to speed up Ayushman Bharat, especially with a focus on primary health care. I know there is a very strong commitment from the government to speed up the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and with primary healthcare and community engagement, I think we can really turn the tide," Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing in Geneva.

Ayushman Bharat is the world's largest health insurance scheme and was launched by the Narendra Modi government in 2018. Last month, PM Modi had said that the number of people who have benefited from the scheme crossed the one crore-mark. The scheme aims to cover to more than 500 million beneficiaries and provide coverage of Rs 500,000 per family, per year.

WHO feels the scheme, since it is already working well, can be used for rapid testing and treatment of millions susceptible to corona. - Window To news