Ola and Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) have announced a partnership to facilitate comprehensive health insurance for Ola’s 2 million driver-partners.
As a part of the partnership, the two organizations will work in tandem to identify driver-partners eligible for the scheme and provide them with access to benefits under the PM-JAY scheme. Through this collaboration, hundreds of thousands of eligible driver-partners will be able to access in-patient care for serious illnesses at a country-wide network of 18,073 government and private hospitals empaneled under PM-JAY. Driver-partners can get their AB-PMJAY e-cards issued at the nearest Ola office.
This milestone development follows a series of benefits Ola has extended to its driver-partners towards their financial inclusion, including access to credit, tailored financial products and subsidized insurance and interest rates for their personal and professional needs.
Dr. Praveen Gedam, Deputy CEO, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY said, “The goal of AB-PMJAY scheme is to provide access to quality curative health care and ensure it reaches every last citizen who is eligible. Ola, as India’s largest mobility platform, reaches out to a vast network of drivers. We appreciate Ola’s efforts in supporting the Government of India’s universal healthcare goals and are confident that our combined energies will accelerate our goal to reach 500 million people across the country.”
Speaking about the partnership, Vijay Ghadge, Vice President- Operations, Ola, said, “Driver-partners and their welfare are a key priority for us and we are constantly working towards improving their lives and are committed to their well-being. We applaud the government’s efforts to strengthen access to healthcare and widen the scope of coverage. In partnering with Ayushman Bharat, we are addressing the evolving needs of our driver-partners, offering them, and their families, access to reliable and quality healthcare services.”
The first phase will see Ola and AB-PMJAY conduct a pilot in Delhi NCR, which will subsequently be rolled out at scale to other cities across the country. Eligible driver-partners as well as Ola employees, across verticals, will be able to avail the benefits of the program and obtain an Ayushman Bharat card at a minimal cost of Rs. 30. Officials from the National Health Authority will work closely with the concerned department at Ola to carry out efficient handling of the process from checking eligibility to handing out AB-PMJAY e-cards. They will also train Ola staff to execute the process independently.
In the past, Ola has partnered with several state governments and government initiatives including Skill India, Digital India, and Swachh Bharat, amongst others. Most recently, Ola partnered with Avail Finance to build customized financial solutions, including micro-savings and micro-insurance products for Ola’s driver-partners.