Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that no poor patient should be deprived of life-saving treatment due to financial constraints, asserting that the state government has ensured adequate financial support through various healthcare schemes.
Addressing the concluding programme of the Maha Arogya Camp at Dhanwate National College in Nagpur, he described the initiative as a “lifeline” for economically weaker patients requiring specialized medical care.The camp was organized by the Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund and the Charitable Hospitals Help Desk. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, BJP National Co-Organisation Secretary Shiv Prakash, Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Skill Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, MPs and MLAs, Mayor Neeta Thakre, and several other dignitaries were present.
Fadnavis said the state has expanded access to healthcare by increasing the number of hospitals and widening the coverage of the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana to include more critical illnesses. He informed that over the past 18 months, the Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund has provided ₹452 crore for the treatment of 57,000 patients.The Chief Minister said the government has introduced a digital system to ensure reserved beds in charitable hospitals are available to poor patients. While the health scheme provides coverage of up to ₹5 lakh, the government offers financial assistance of up to ₹9 lakh for certain critical illnesses and up to ₹35 lakh for select complex medical conditions.
Highlighting special healthcare initiatives, Fadnavis said the government has started free cochlear implant surgeries for children with hearing impairment, enabling them to hear and speak. He also announced that artificial limbs and assistive devices would be distributed to persons with disabilities on August 9, reaffirming the government’s commitment to serving the underprivileged.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari praised the Maha Arogya Camp for bringing quality healthcare to the poor and urged the government to reduce the high cost of cancer medicines, including expensive injections and capsules.
BJP National Co-Organisation Secretary Shiv Prakash said every citizen should have access to basic facilities such as food, shelter, and healthcare, adding that initiatives like the Maha Arogya Camp should be replicated across the country.
Former MLA Sandeep Joshi, in his introductory address, said health camps conducted across Nagpur between July 15 and July 22 screened 31,000 patients, with around 4,500 patients identified for free surgeries.Earlier, Chief Minister Fadnavis inaugurated a mobile medical clinic and an ambulance service and distributed wheelchairs to persons with disabilities. Several organizations also donated ambulances and contributed to the Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund and the Gangadharrao Fadnavis Memorial Diagnostic Centre. Doctors and donors associated with the health camp were felicitated during the programme.
The Maha Arogya Camp offered consultations by specialist doctors in cardiology, oncology, dermatology, ophthalmology, ENT, emergency medicine and several other disciplines. Thousands of patients from Nagpur city and surrounding districts availed themselves of free consultations, medicines, diagnostic tests, surgeries, and other medical treatments during the camp.
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