West Bengal will implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme from August 16, with around 1.5 crore families, comprising nearly six crore people, expected to be covered, West Bengal health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said on Friday, while promising a major overhaul of the state’s healthcare system.
Stating that the day will be observed as ‘Ayushman Diwas’, Mukherjee said the launch would mark a “new chapter” for the state, alleging that people had been deprived of several central welfare schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, over the past 15 years.
The minister was referring to the public policies followed by the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee administration in the state.
Mukherjee said the launch of the scheme would bring the people of Bengal under the same health-security framework as the rest of the country.
He further clarified that those who do not meet the Centre’s eligibility criteria for Ayushman Bharat would be covered by a state government’s ‘Mukhyamantri Swasthya Yojana’, which would also be launched on the same day and provide an equal cashless health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per year as the central scheme.
“No resident of Bengal would remain outside the health-insurance safety net of the government,” he said. No money will be charged for issuing Ayushman Bharat cards, he added.
Seeking to allay concerns over the existing Swasthya Sathi scheme launched by the earlier TMC government, the health minister said it would not be discontinued immediately.
“For the next two to three months, Swasthya Sathi, Ayushman Bharat and the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana would operate simultaneously. Swasthya Sathi would be gradually withdrawn only after beneficiaries were shifted to the new schemes in phases and it was established that there were no problems with the services,” he said, adding that the government plans to review the functioning of the schemes over the next two months.
The minister said a total of 1,930 hospitals in the state 1,303 private and 627 government facilities have been brought under the scheme.
“To prevent unreasonable billing, excessive package charges and other irregularities at private hospitals, a nodal team from the state Health Department would hold review meetings every fortnight. Agreements with private hospitals have also been finalised for the next 90 days,” Mukherjee said.
Addressing past concerns of hospitals turning away patients even when they carried Swasthya Sathi cards, Mukherjee issued a stern warning.
He said, “No one can be turned away on the grounds that there are no beds. Let someone try turning a patient away!” Beneficiaries have been advised to carry their Aadhaar number when visiting hospitals.
Those without an Ayushman Bharat card can have their names enrolled at the hospital itself, officials said.
“Even those whose names are currently not included in the Ayushman Bharat database can have their eligibility checked and, where applicable, be enrolled in the scheme,” an official said.
The Centre has allocated around Rs 1,000 crore for implementation of Ayushman Bharat in the state, accounting for 60 per cent of the funding, while the remaining 40 per cent will be borne by the state, the minister said.
The government also said around 3.4 crore people in the state are already covered under ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and would be able to avail themselves of services from August 16.
Among the major benefits of Ayushman Bharat is that there will be no upper limit on the number of family members covered, meaning every member of a family will be eligible for the benefit, the minister explained, adding that the health-insurance scheme will also cover the cost of treating pre-existing diseases.
Under the scheme, costs of medicines, diagnostic tests and follow-up treatment will be covered from three days before hospitalisation until 15 days after discharge, Mukherjee said.
“Beneficiaries would not need to carry a separate card to avail of the scheme. At the hospital, they would only need to show their Aadhaar card at the designated counter, after which digital verification would be completed, and the patient would be able to access the benefits,” he said.
He further said that residents of West Bengal would be able to avail themselves of the scheme not only at hospitals within the state but also at more than 40,000 empanelled hospitals across the country. This would make the scheme useful for migrant workers or residents who fall ill while travelling outside the state.
The health minister also announced that every citizen above the age of 70 would be brought under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Talking of the benefits of the scheme, Mukherjee said those having an ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) ID will no longer need to repeatedly submit their medical history as they did previously.
By showing their ABHA ID, doctors will be able to access the patient’s complete digital medical record, making the treatment process faster and easier, he said.
