Dikhyaa Mohanty 
According to a statement made by the government of Odisha today, the state has so far spent Rs 35,50,10,94,612 on the care of 16,50,472 patients under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY). The State Assembly was informed by Health Minister Niranjan Pujari in response to MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik’s question during Question Period that the Government spent Rs 41,222,14,730 on treatment under the flagship health program in 2019–20, and the figure grew to Rs 79,42,31,773 in 2020–21.
Similar to this, the State exchequer paid Rs 380,57,65,445 and Rs 1907,0258,790 for the treatment of low-income patients in 2021–22 and 2022–23, respectively. The Minister further stated that the Health Department has till August 31 of this year to spend Rs. 1141,86,23,874 on the cashless health program.
Notably, the BSKY, launched in 2018, aims to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to economically backward and vulnerable sections of society. Under the scheme, beneficiaries can avail of cashless treatment at empanelled private hospitals for various medical conditions. It also bears the cost of tests, medicines etc.
