Delhi Govt to empanel 100 additional hospitals under Ayushman Bharat

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Dr Pankaj Singh on Thursday announced that the government will add 100 more hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the next 10 days. This move will increase the total number of empanelled hospitals in the capital to 165.

The updated list is expected to include prominent private hospitals such as Fortis Healthcare. A formal launch of the expanded network is scheduled for the first week of September.

According to the National Health Authority (NHA), which oversees the implementation of AB-PMJAY across India, 151 hospitals in Delhi are currently empanelled under the scheme—107 private and 44 government-run.

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Speaking to the Hindustan Times, the minister said, “In the last couple of weeks, we have increased the list of empanelled hospitals under Ayushman in the city. We will further update the list.”

However, Health Minister Singh acknowledged that some major hospitals had initially been hesitant to join due to payment delays under the previous Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) scheme.

“Nearly ₹100 crore in bills were pending by the previous government, of which a large portion has now been cleared. Still, about ₹20 crore remains pending, which is in the process of being settled. Fortis has already applied to join the Ayushman panel,” he said, reports Hindustan Times.

The Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK), introduced by the AAP-led government, offered financial support of up to ₹5 lakh for eligible patients seeking treatment in government hospitals in the Delhi-NCR region. However, with Delhi’s formal adoption of AB-PMJAY, beneficiaries now stand to receive double the coverage—up to ₹10 lakh annually—₹5 lakh from the Centre and an additional ₹5 lakh top-up from the Delhi government.

This development came after two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in April 2025 between the Delhi government and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare—one on April 5 to implement AB-PMJAY, and another on April 10 for the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM).

Delhi thus became the 35th state or Union Territory to implement AB-PMJAY. This comprehensive coverage includes cashless treatment for 1,961 medical procedures spanning 27 specialities, such as surgeries, diagnostics, ICU care, hospitalisation, and medicines.

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Speaking to Hindustan Times, Delhi health department officials said that since the launch, a total of ₹13,337 crore has been paid for AB-PMJAY card users in Delhi, of which ₹3.75 crore has been contributed by the Delhi government.