Summary of this article
West Bengal’s Health Department has urged all private hospitals to join the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
This directive came in the wake of the new government's decision to implement the central health scheme statewide.
While the existing Swasthya Sathi programme will continue for now, officials indicate it may be gradually merged with Ayushman Bharat.
The West Bengal Health Department has issued a directive to all the private hospitals in the state to empanel themselves in the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) without any delay. After a virtual meeting on May 19, where health department officials held a discussion with representatives of medical facilities in the state, the department asked them to sign up for the Ayushman Bharat Yojana (ABY).
The meeting was focused on the logistical and digital requirements for hospital empanelment. To expedite the process, the department provided the hospitals with step-by-step tutorials and guided them through the web portal on how to navigate it, so as to streamline the registration process.
The Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, recently announced implementing the ABY in West Bengal, which is the reason that the health department is focused on streamlining and expediting the empanelment process.
With the facilities extended, the empanelment may be completed in a week, reported the Times of India, as the state health officials and technical experts have been working closely with hospital administration to ensure a seamless transition. Reportedly, several known institutions, such as HCG Cancer Hospitals, Ruby General, Desun, and Peerless, are already on the panel, whereas several others are racing to complete their formalities.
Until now, only ‘Swasthya Sathi’, a state government health scheme which was launched by the Trinamool government in 2016, was available in the state. The previous government avoided implementing Ayushman Yojana. Although the new government has assured that the Swasthya Sathi scheme will continue for the time being, the report, citing officials, suggests that the scheme will be integrated with the Ayushman Yojana. A phased merger of the state health scheme in the Ayushman Yojana could be possible.
The Ayushman Yojana was launched in 2018 to provide comprehensive health coverage to people from the economically weaker section of society, selected based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011. The scheme, however, was extended to senior citizens aged 70 years and above in October 2024, irrespective of their economic background.
Until now, Ayushman Yojana has been implemented in all states and union territories, except West Bengal. Now, with the new government coming to power, the scheme is set to be available across India to provide universal health coverage to the eligible beneficiaries.
Coming back to implementation in West Bengal, the primary concerns for hospitals, as per the report, remain the sustainability of the scheme and the efficiency of the system, where claims are timely reimbursed, and package rates are reasonable.
As the state government tries to set up the system and onboard private hospitals to offer the Ayushman Yojana, the focus remains on how well the scheme takes off without compromising the existing safety net.
