11.69 crore hospital admissions approved under Ayushman Bharat: MoS Health

Responding to a question, Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated that strict guidelines are in place to ensure that hospitals provide treatment to beneficiaries without any denial. However, the number of hospitals empanelled under this scheme has increased rapidly over the past few years.

As on 28.02.2026, the empanelment of hospitals under the scheme has increased from 6,917 hospitals in FY 2018–19, comprising 3,013 public and 3,904 private hospitals, to 36,229 hospitals, comprising 19,483 public and 16,746 private hospitals. All eligible beneficiaries under the scheme can avail treatment through a network of these 36,229 empanelled hospitals across the country. 

Under the scheme, settlement of claims is a regular and uninterrupted process, and claims are settled by respective State Health Agencies as per claim adjudication guidelines issued by the National Health Authority. For timely settlement of claims, the permissible turnaround time is within 15 days of claim submission for intra-state hospitals (hospitals located within the State) and within 30 days of claim submission in case of portability claims (hospitals located outside the State). Under the scheme, claims submitted by empanelled hospitals are scrutinized based on the clinical documents, investigation reports and other supporting records, in accordance with the prescribed standard treatment guidelines, the PIB stated.

Under AB-PMJAY, the empanelment of hospitals is a continuous and voluntary process, carried out by States and Union Territories in accordance with the guidelines of the National Health Authority, based on requirements and the availability of eligible healthcare providers.