Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, November 30, hailed the healthcare programme for the poor initiated by the Rajasthan government, saying that if the party secures power at the Centre post the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, similar initiatives will be rolled out nationwide. Gandhi made these remarks while addressing the audience following the inauguration of a new block at a private hospital in Sulthan Bathery, situated within his Lok Sabha constituency, Wayanad.
The former Congress chief emphasised the need for a reevaluation of healthcare at the national level. He said that the union government should prioritise providing affordable healthcare to the poor as a fundamental guarantee to its people. "I think at the national level we need to rethink the way we think about healthcare and I think one of the guarantees that the national government should think about is healthcare at really low cost, especially to the poor people," Rahul said.
"We have done some work on this in Rajasthan and hopefully if we come to power in 2024, we will try and implement these types of ideas across the nation," Gandhi said. The Congress party has hailed its Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme in Rajasthan as a "model" for the entire country, asserting that increasing the medical coverage to Rs 50 lakh would provide significant relief to both the poor and the middle class.
During the Rajasthan Assembly poll campaign, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had praised the scheme as a boon for the people of Rajasthan, highlighting its comprehensive coverage, including free treatment for various medical procedures such as kidney and liver transplants, cancer and heart disease treatments, operation, dialysis, and implants. The party considers the 'Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme' as the best free treatment scheme in the country, with a promise to raise the coverage to Rs 50 lakh if re-elected in Rajasthan.
Voting for 199 out of the 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan was held on November 25. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.
