Ayushman Sahakar Scheme or the Ayushman Sahakar yojana comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

To know more about the scheme, its objectives and features, read on!

Ayushman Sahakar scheme is that the NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation) initiated to help cooperatives play a significant role in creating healthcare infrastructure in India.

The features of the Ayushman Sahakar Scheme are as follows -

• The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) formulated this scheme. NCDC comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare.
• This scheme (Ayushman Sahakar scheme) helps increase the provision of the healthcare services cooperatives offer.
• It covers the following:
  • Establishment
  • Modernization
  • Expansion
  • Repairs and
  • Renovation of hospitals, healthcare infrastructure and education.
• Ayushman Sahakar Fund is available via National Cooperative Development Corporation, and any cooperative society is open to access the funds provided they perform healthcare-related activities.
• This government will provide loans to the tune of Rs. 10,000 crore to the cooperatives. Moreover, working money and margin capital will also be available.
• An interest subvention of 1% will be available to women majority cooperatives.

Below are some key and primary objectives of this Ayushman Sahakar Scheme.

• To help cooperative societies provide affordable and complete healthcare via healthcare facilities, hospitals and education facilities.
• Promote the facilities of AYUSH via cooperative societies.
• To help the various cooperatives meet some objectives of National Health Policy.
• To help cooperatives participate in the National Digital Health Mission.

NCDC is financing the scheme. It extends loans and has a fund which the cooperatives can access.

Benefits of this Ayushman Sahakar Scheme are:

• The most prominent benefit is that villagers will get many facilities like hospices and medical colleges.
• Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic raised the need for the creation of these facilities.

Ayushman Sahakar Scheme’s significance is as follows -

• There are around 52 hospitals in India that cooperatives run. Their bed strength is about 5000. With this implementation of Ayushman Sahakar Scheme, they can boost this number.
• Ayushman Sahakar will help cooperative hospitals take up medical / AYUSH education.
• Moreover, this scheme will bring a lot of development to rural areas.

NCDC is an apex body involved in the planning and financing of cooperative development programmes at the national level. They are the body responsible for financing and overseeing the Ayushman Sahakar Scheme.