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Two States, West Bengal and Odisha, and the Union Territory of Delhi are still not on-board the Ayushman Bharat scheme – India’s massive state-sponsored healthcare scheme targeting the economically weaker section – and the Centre continues to reach out to these State governments, Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, said on Friday.
According to her, the three States (including Delhi) have pointed out that they have their own health schemes in-place and have hence decided not to be a part of the Ayushman Bharat.
“West Bengal, Odisha and Delhi are not on-board with the Ayushman Bharat Scheme and we continue to engage with them on this. We are trying to get them to part of this. They have pointed out that the States have their own health insurance schemes. But we are trying to point out that the Ayushman Bharat scheme is operable inter-State, anywhere across India. So with an Ayushman Bharat card, a person from Odisha can be treated in any of the empanelled hospital outside the State,” she told reporters.
Disbursements
The Centre has also offered to pay full health insurance premium so as to enable these States to come on-board.
So far, disbursements under the Ayushman Bharat scheme is nearly ₹69,000 crore (including tertiary care and by both Centre and States); while there are 26,000 empanelled hospitals pan-India.
Incidentally, Union Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, during his recent visit to West Bengal - to assess the State’s healthcare services – had urged the State government there to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme. “The State government should execute Ayushman Bharat at the grass-roots level...We are taking all necessary measures to ensure the highest quality of healthcare services in the State,” the Minister had said.
‘Nipah under control’
Meanwhile, Pawar said that the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala is currently “under control” at the moment. The Centre, continues to work in tandem with the State government there to contain and control any further spread.
“Test, track, sample collection, and monitoring of the situation on Nipah virus continues. At the moment, things are under control there,” the MoS said.
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