16L UP govt staff to get cashless treatment under AYUSH services: Yogi

CM QUOTE: “Technology, accountability and sensitivity must work together in health services. Visible improvement in public healthcare was essential to strengthen trust in the system.”Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that state govt employees will be able to avail cashless facility for in-patient AYUSH treatments through the Deendayal Upadhyay Rajya Karmchari Cashless Chikitsa Yojana. The move will benefit around 16 lakh employees.Yogi announced the decision while reviewing the health and medical education departments. Until, employees had to seek reimbursement of AYUSH treatments which was a long and cumbersome process.“In-patient (IPD) services under traditional systems such as Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy should also be brought within the ambit of Deendayal Upadhyay State Employee Cashless Medical Scheme without any further delay,” the CM told officials.Calling the move progressive, AYUSH minister Dayashankar Dayalu said: “Govt has invested significantly to strengthen AYUSH services in state. Now that the infrastructure is in place, the move is timely and progressive. It will strengthen preventive healthcare and make traditional treatment systems more accessible within the state’s public health framework.”CEO-SACHIS (State Agency for Health and Integrated Services which implements the scheme) Archana Verma said: “A good chunk of services and treatments extended under AYUSH are preventive in nature. By allowing state employees the facility of cashless in-patient treatment, govt has provided them a chance to work on their health, maintain it enough so that they do not fall sick.”CM described Ayushman Bharat as “the biggest support for poor and needy families” and directed officials to ensure timely settlement of claims so hospitals can continue providing uninterrupted treatment.Officials apprised the CM that 6,480 hospitals are currently empanelled under the scheme across Uttar Pradesh and more than 96.75 lakh free treatments have been provided so far.Stating that the impact of improvements in healthcare services must be directly visible to the public, Yogi stressed that quality treatment, diagnostics, medicines and emergency services in govt hospitals see continuous improvement.“Medical colleges, nursing institutions and super-speciality centres should be strengthened through modern technology, better manpower and efficient management,” he said, adding, “The objective of medical education is not merely to increase institutions, but to provide trained doctors, specialists and quality healthcare workers to the state.”Yogi underscored the importance of modern equipment, expert faculty and research activities in medical institutions along with focus on emergency medical transportation, availability of quality medicines and diagnostic testing.Looking at the scale of healthcare expansion, the CM expressed satisfaction when officials apprised him that the number of medical colleges in UP has increased from 44 in 2016-17 to 83 in 2025-26; MBBS seats have increased from 5,390 to 12,800 during the period, and postgraduate medical seats have risen from 1,344 to 5,067 besides increase in super-speciality seats.Expansion of nursing education also figured prominently in the meeting. Officials said 652 nursing institutions are operational in the state, with nearly four lakh registered nursing personnel available. Reforms under Mission Niramaya 1.0 and outreach in schools were also reviewed.The CM stressed strengthening institutional and safe delivery systems to further reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and said every pregnant woman should receive timely and quality medical care.Digital health infrastructure was another major focus. Officials informed the CM that more than 15 crore ABHA IDs have been created under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, while over 15 crore electronic health records have already been linked. Expansion of Hospital Information Systems and Lab Information Systems is also underway.Govt also reviewed progress on several healthcare infrastructure projects, including the multistorey girls’ hostel at medical college in Gorakhpur, the 110-bed trauma centre in Ayodhya, a BSc Nursing College in Saharanpur and expansion works in the psychiatry and de-addiction units at medical college in Kanpur.At Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, officials said approval has been granted for a new 1,010-bed hospital on the upcoming campus.The CM also emphasised medical research and innovation, with officials briefing him on MedTech projects and proposals worth around Rs 1,500 crore in the sector. Presentations were also made on the Uttar Pradesh State Cancer Mission, trauma and emergency care network and ICU expansion plans.Calling for faster execution of all under-construction projects, the CM said: “technology, accountability and sensitivity must work together in health services. Visible improvement in public healthcare was essential to strengthen trust in the system.”In the meeting, it was informed that the response time of 108 ambulance services and Advanced Life Support ambulances has continuously improved. At present, 375 ALS ambulances are operational and 9.38 lakh patients have been referred so far. The Chief Minister directed that ambulance response time be reduced further and said that every minute is important during emergencies.Yogi said medicines with less than three months of expiry should not remain in hospitals and should be replaced with fresh stock.During the meeting, it was informed that dialysis services are available in 75 districts and CT scan services in 74 districts of the state. By March 2026, more than 35.69 lakh dialysis sessions and over 45.35 lakh CT scans had been conducted. Tele-radiology services are operational at 227 CHCs.