Thiruvananthapuram: The state health department has decided to continue offering free treatment under Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP) to senior citizens aged above 70 who registered with the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

Malayala Manorama reported that thousands of people in the 70-plus age group who registered with PM-JAY were denied free treatment under the state government’s KASP.

This was because the state had earlier directed the empanelled hospitals not to provide free treatment to such people. According to the government, offering free facilities was impossible as details of the central scheme for the citizens were not available.

However, according to the latest order of the state health department, all 70-plus citizens who registered with the ‘Vaya Vandana Yojana’, launched by Prime Minister Narendra  Modi in October, could avail themselves of free treatment regardless of their income.

At the same time, it is pointed out that even though online registrations for the scheme began with the Prime Minister's announcement, the Centre has yet to provide guidelines to the state regarding its implementation.

An official with the health department said that the scheme can be executed in Kerala only after the Centre gives the necessary instructions. 

“Any person who joins the PM’s Vaya Vandana Yojana will naturally lose their membership in KASP and its free treatment. But, as the problem became severe, the state health department has now decided not to deny free treatment to such people,” the official explained.