Govt inks pact with Centre to roll out Ayushman scheme
The Delhi Government is poised to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in the national capital, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre on Saturday.
The scheme was a major election promise made by the BJP in the recently held Assembly poll.
The MoU was signed between the National Health Authority, under the Union Health Ministry, and the Government of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Union Health Minister JP Nadda.
“Citizens in Delhi will now be able to benefit from AB PM-JAY, which provides free health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per beneficiary family per year,” said Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at the event.
“In addition, the Delhi Government will offer a top-up of an additional Rs 5 lakh over and above the Central coverage. This will benefit around 6.54 lakh families in Delhi under the scheme,” the Chief Minister said.
Highlighting the scale and scope of the scheme, Gupta said beneficiaries would have access to 1,961 health packages across 27 medical specialties, with updated procedures and revised rates for empanelled hospitals.
The Chief Minister also announced that card distribution under the scheme would begin from April 10.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda described the rollout of the scheme in Delhi as a “proud moment.” “It is a proud moment that the world’s largest health coverage scheme, already active in 34 states and Union Territories, is finally being implemented in the national capital,” Nadda said.
He emphasised that the scheme was built on trust and not on insurance principles. “This is an assurance scheme, not an insurance scheme. The focus is on dignity and timely access to care, especially for the vulnerable,” he said.
Nadda noted that the scheme currently targets over 55 crore beneficiaries, covering 12 crore families, which makes up about 40 per cent of India’s vulnerable population.
Quoting a recent Lancet study, the Union Minister highlighted improved health outcomes under the scheme. “There has been a 90 per cent increase in access to cancer care within 30 days for enrolled patients. This shows how Ayushman Bharat is transforming lives,” the Union Minister said.
The implementation of AB PM-JAY was approved in the very first Cabinet meeting of the new BJP-led Delhi government, shortly after Chief Minister Gupta and her six ministers were sworn in on February 20, bringing the party back to power in Delhi after over 26 years.
The scheme had met with criticism and was a point of contention between the previous AAP government in Delhi led by Arvind Kejriwal, and the BJP-led Central Government. L-G VK Saxena and the AAP government had a tussle over the “falling health infrastructure” in the capital.
Delhi