Delhi joins Ayushman Bharat scheme, set to benefit 36 Lakh people
New Delhi: In a historic event, Delhi became the 35th State/UT to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) after the National Health Authority (NHA) of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of NCT, Delhi.
The agreement was signed between Smt. L.S Changsan, Addl Secretary, MoHFW & Chief Executive Officer, National Health Authority (NHA), and Dr S.B. Deepak Kumar, Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of NCT Delhi.
The signing ceremony was presided over by Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare & Chemicals and Fertilizers in presence of Smt. Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister, Government of NCT Delhi; Shri Harsh Malhotra, Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Smt. Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare & Chemicals and Fertilizers; and Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh, Minister, Health and Family Welfare & Transport and Information Technology, Delhi. Smt. Bansuri Swaraj, Shri Praveen Khandelwal, Shri Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Shri Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Shri Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Shri Yogendra Chandolia – Members of Parliament (MPs) from NCT Delhi; Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary and Shri Dharmendra, Chief Secretary, NCT Delhi were also present during the event.
Also Read:Delhi Govt to enroll 1 lakh in Ayushman Bharat by April 10, Prioritizing the Poorest
Addressing the gathering, Shri J P Nadda stated, “It is a moment of pride that the world’s largest health coverage scheme, which has been in place across 34 states and UTs in the country is finally getting implemented in the national capital as well.” He stated that this scheme is built on trust, hence it is termed as an ‘assurance’ scheme, not an insurance scheme.
Shri Nadda noted that on the basis of economic caste census, 50 crore people were brought under this scheme, making it the first such scheme to do so. He also informed that 36 lakh frontline health workers, including ASHAs and Angadwadi workers were brought under this scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Bima Yojna to cover both health and life insurance. This, he stated, was done to bring these frontline workers under the ambit of comprehensive social security coverage.
The Union Health Minister stated that with the implementation of AB PM-JAY in Delhi, all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status, will be covered under Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana which provides Rs 5 lakh free health cover to all senior citizens of the age 70 years and above irrespective of their socio-economic status. This will provide health cover to all eligible senior citizens where all pre-existing diseases will be covered from day one. “It is estimated that more than 6 lakh senior citizens in Delhi belonging to ~4.5 lakh families will be benefited”, he stated. “With around 30 lakh people belonging to over 6.5 lakh families and an estimated 6 lakh senior citizens, about 36 lakh people in Delhi will be benefitted by the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme”, he further stated.
Shri Nadda highlighted that through the AB PM-JAY scheme, 55+ crore beneficiaries were targeted comprising 12 crore families which covered 40% of the vulnerable population of India. He said that implementation of AB PM-JAY will help create a healthy, empowered and prosperous Delhi. He also highlighted that out-of-pocket expenditure has declined from 62% in 2014 to 38% today owing to this scheme.
Citing a recent LANCET study, Shri Nadda underlined that timely cancer treatment initiation has improved significantly because of the Ayushman Bharat Jan Aarogya Yojna. “Patients enrolled under AB-PMJAY saw 90% rise in access to cancer treatment within 30 days”, he stated.
Speaking on the occasion, Smt. Rekha Gupta said, “Citizens in Delhi will now be able to reap benefits from AB PM-JAY which provides free health cover of Rs. 5 Lakh to each beneficiary family per year. In addition, Delhi government would be giving an additional top-up of 5 lakhs over and above the cover provided by Central Government. Around 6.54 lakh families in Delhi will be benefitted under the scheme.”
She also highlighted that beneficiaries will now gain access to 1,961 health benefit packages from 27 medical specialties, featuring updated procedures and better rates for hospitals. She also informed that card distribution for the scheme will be initiated from 10th April 2025 onwards.
Smt. Anupriya Patel said, “today is a historic day for the people of Delhi as this MoU reflects a common commitment of the Union and Delhi government to provide quality and affordable healthcare to residents of Delhi.”
Highlighting that AB PM-JAY is the largest health assurance scheme in the world, she stated that Rs. 1.75 crore out-of-pocket expenditure have been saved so far because of the scheme. She also noted that around 6.54 lakh families in Delhi will be benefited with timely and quality healthcare, including all senior citizens, aged 70 years and above.
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, launched on 23rd September 2018, has been a game-changer in healthcare, mainly for the millions of poor and vulnerable families across the country. In just five years, it enabled them with timely access and quality healthcare without burdening them with catastrophic health expenditure during medical emergencies.
Also Read:8.99 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 1.26 lakh crore authorised under PMJAY
