Delhi government inks MoU with Centre to roll out Ayushman Bharat scheme

In a move towards expanding people's access to healthcare in the national capital, the BJP-led Delhi government inked a MoU with the Centre on Saturday to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the city.

With this, Delhi has become the 35th state/Union Territory to implement the health insurance scheme. West Bengal is now the only state which has not implemented the scheme.

The Ayushman Bharat scheme provides free and cashless treatment for 1,961 medical procedures across 27 specialities, covering the costs of medicines, diagnostic services, hospitalisation, ICU care, surgeries and more.

Under it, eligible families in Delhi will receive an annual health coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh — Rs 5 lakh from the Centre and the same amount as a top-up from the Delhi government.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Delhi government and the National Health Authority in the presence of Union Health Minister J P Nadda, and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, among others.

The National Health Authority is the apex body responsible for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.

Following the signing of the MoU, a special campaign will be launched to enrol the beneficiaries under the scheme.

The BJP, which came to power in Delhi in February after a gap of more than 26 years, approved the implementation of the scheme at its first cabinet meeting, right after Gupta and six of her ministers took the oath of office on February 20.