Over 1,500 private hospitals, 4 crore people empanelled under Ayushman Bharat in last one year: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday informed the Parliament that over 1,500 private hospitals and 4.5 crore needy people have been empanelled under the Central Government's Ayushman Bharat scheme in the last one year.

The scheme is reviewed every month and out-of-pocket expenditure of patients under the scheme has come down, Mr Mandaviya said, replying to a question in Lok Sabha.

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Under the scheme launched in 2018, the government provides health security cover to 10 crore families or 50 crore people of India.

Today, 4.5 crore needy people have been empanelled under the scheme, the Minister said.

He said seven-eight lakh beneficiary cards are printed daily and the ministry was working to ensure that 50 crore cards are made available in the next four-six months.

"Poor and needy people are covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and they can avail ₹5 lakh health security cover. Any hospital can empanel under the scheme ... In the last one year, more than 1,500 private hospitals have been empanelled under the scheme," Mr. Mandaviya said during the Question Hour.

The Minister said 22,000 hospitals, both public and private, have been empanelled under the scheme so far.

Medical dialogues team had earlier reported that approximately 4.18 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 48,934.9 crore had been authorized under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) through a network of 26,267 empanelled healthcare providers, including 11,700 private hospitals till December 4, the Lok Sabha was informed.

The percentage of hospital admissions authorised in the private sector by count and amount are 57 percent and 67 percent, respectively, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. On whether the government was aware that people were not able to avail of benefits under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna AB-PMJAY due to the apathy of private hospitals, Pawar said healthcare providers could not deny treatment to genuine beneficiaries according to the terms and conditions of empanelment.

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