Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji
Panaji, Jul 5: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised the BJP-led Goa government's healthcare model, calling the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY) inadequate and demanding that health insurance coverage be increased to Rs 10 lakh per family without any eligibility restrictions.
Addressing a press conference along with AAP Goa in-charge Atishi, state president Valmiki Naik and other party leaders, Kejriwal alleged that Goa's public healthcare system had "completely collapsed," despite nearly 16 lakh people depending on government health facilities.
He claimed that inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of specialist doctors had adversely affected healthcare services across the state.
Highlighting what he termed the shortcomings of the DDSSY, Kejriwal said the scheme's financial cover of Rs 4 lakh for smaller families and Rs 6 lakh for larger families was insufficient to meet the cost of treatment for serious illnesses.
He also alleged that the scheme covered only 447 medical procedures, excluding important treatments such as PET scans and cataract surgery packages. Delayed reimbursements by the government, he claimed, had prompted several hospitals to stop accepting DDSSY cards, while treatment rates under the scheme continued to be based on 2016 pricing.
Kejriwal further said enrolment under the scheme had declined from 2.9 lakh cards in 2022-23 to 1.81 lakh in 2025-26, which, according to him, reflected the limited benefits being received by the public.
Referring to the AAP government's healthcare model in Punjab, he said it provides health insurance coverage of Rs 10 lakh per family across more than 2,350 treatment packages, along with timely advance payments to hospitals.
He asserted that Goa, which has one of the country's highest per capita budgets, could implement a similar model if corruption was eliminated.
Kejriwal also highlighted the lack of adequate super-speciality healthcare facilities outside Goa Medical College, alleging that patients from South Goa were forced to travel long distances for advanced treatment. He added that the South Goa District Hospital and the Ponda Sub-District Hospital continued to face shortages of staff and inadequate infrastructure.