Delhi Govt, Centre ink pact for health infra mission
The Delhi Government on Thursday launched the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) after the Union Health Ministry entered an MoU with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi.
With an aim to strengthen public health infrastructure, the PM-ABHIM, a Centrally-sponsored scheme, was launched on October 25, 2021.
The scheme aims to fill critical gaps in health infrastructure, surveillance and health research.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda said the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) was the world’s largest health coverage programme, under which 62 crore people were being benefitted.
Both AB PM-JAY and PM-ABHIM fall under the umbrella of Ayushman Bharat, and were launched to improve healthcare accessibility, affordability and availability.
While the AB PM-JAY was launched in September 2018 to help the financially weaker sections of society access healthcare, the PM-ABHIM has made robust outcomes in strengthening healthcare infrastructure.
“It is a moment of pride that 36 lakh people in Delhi will be benefitted under the AB PM-JAY scheme. As many as 8.19 crore people have already availed treatment under the scheme and the government has cumulatively spent Rs 1.26 lakh crore for it,” he added.
He said, out of these people, 19 lakh were those who could not have afforded treatments without the Ayushman Bharat health coverage.
“As a result of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, out-of-pocket expenditure has declined from 62 per cent to 38 per cent today,” Nadda added.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said health had always been a priority for the Union Government.
“Besides improving health infrastructure and making quality medicines accessible to the masses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always emphasised on nutrition, yoga and meditation. This shows the emphasis being laid on the healthcare sector,” she added.
She said, “For Delhi, an amount of Rs 1,749 crore has been approved for establishing 1,139 Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM), and strengthening 11 Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHLs) and 9 Critical Care Blocks (CCBs) under the PM-ABHIM during the scheme period.”
BJP hails fulfilment
of key poll promise
As the first Ayushman cards were issued to beneficiaries in the national capital, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva called the move the “fulfilment of the party’s biggest resolution” for the 2025 Assembly elections.
At the inaugural ceremony, Nadda symbolically handed over Ayushman cards to a few residents.
The scheme is expected to benefit over 30 lakh low-income residents of Delhi, as well as nearly 6 lakh senior citizens (above the age of 70), providing them with access to free medical treatment under the AB PM-JAY.
Delhi beneficiaries will not only receive the standard Rs 5 lakh annual cover available under the national scheme, but also a top-up from the Delhi Government, doubling the benefit to Rs 10 lakh per person per year.
Sachdeva said, “With the issuance of the first Ayushman card today, our biggest ‘sankalp’ for the 2025 Assembly elections has been fulfilled. This marks a transformative moment for healthcare access in Delhi.” He announced that the Delhi BJP would soon launch a city-wide awareness campaign at the mandal level to encourage eligible citizens to get their Ayushman cards issued, and take full advantage of the scheme.
With the rollout, Delhi joins other states in implementing the initiative, which has already benefited millions across the country.
Delhi