Mamata Banerjee inaugurates new SSKM block, criticizes Ayushman Bharat

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday inaugurated the new 10-storey ‘Ananya’ block at SSKM Hospital, built at a cost of Rs 67 crore. She claimed that her government's flagship health insurance scheme, Swasthya Sathi, is more inclusive than the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Ayushman Bharat scheme discriminates against people for owning basic assets such as scooters or smartphones.

“We refused to join Ayushman Bharat because it excludes the common man. Why should I differentiate between the rich and poor for healthcare? Even if you own a scooter, a smartphone, or a small asset, you will not be disqualified under Swasthya Sathi,” Banerjee said.

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According to a UNI report, she said that over 8.72 crore people from 2.45 crore families have benefitted from the scheme so far, with nearly 7,000 patients availing treatment daily. The state has already spent Rs 12,000 crore on the initiative.

The Chief Minister, who also holds the health portfolio, was speaking at the inauguration of a new 10-storey ‘Ananya’ block at SSKM Hospital’s Woodburn Ward 2, built at a cost of Rs 67 crore.

The block houses 131 cabins with subsidised daily charges ranging from Rs 5,000 for single cabins to Rs 15,000 for ICU beds.

Banerjee claimed she had reduced the proposed tariffs by Rs 2,000 compared to what hospital authorities had originally planned.

She inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 18 healthcare projects worth Rs 262 crore, including the state’s first robotic surgery system in the government sector and eastern India’s first bone bank, to be set up at Sambhunath Pandit Hospital.

Of these, 15 projects worth Rs 162 crore were inaugurated, while foundation stones were laid for three others worth Rs 100 crore.

Banerjee highlighted the steady rise in healthcare investment under her tenure, pointing out that the state’s health budget has grown from Rs 3,584 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 21,355 crore in 2024-25, a nearly six-fold jump.

She said West Bengal has invested over Rs 70,000 crore in strengthening medical infrastructure.

She also announced upcoming projects, including a cord blood bank at SSKM and a dedicated cancer treatment block in collaboration with Tata Memorial Hospital, which is nearing completion, reports UNI.

A similar cancer facility is also coming up at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

The Chief Minister also took aim at the Centre, alleging that West Bengal was being deprived of GST compensation, causing heavy revenue losses.

“Other states are getting compensation, why not us?” she asked.

On the state’s flood woes, Banerjee stressed West Bengal’s geographical vulnerabilities due to upstream water flow from Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Bihar and Jharkhand.

“It’s like West Bengal is floating like a boat,” she quipped.

Reflecting on social transformation in the health sector, she said institutional deliveries in the state have risen from less than 4% earlier to 99.5% today.

“Once, many children did not even have birth certificates. Today, our children are born in hospitals. This is proof of how far we have come in public health,” she said.

She further informed that several Bills passed by the state assembly remain pending with the Governor.

“We will resend them, as directed by the Supreme Court,” Banerjee said.

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