Now Reading: Bengal to roll out Ayushman Bharat, state health scheme from August 16
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Bengal to roll out Ayushman Bharat, state health scheme from August 16
West Bengal will implement the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme along with the state's Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana from August 16, health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee announced. The minister said 1.5 crore families, about…
The Story in Brief
West Bengal will implement the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme along with the state's Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana from August 16, health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee announced. The minister said 1.5 crore families, about 6 crore individuals, will be covered under the national scheme, while those ineligible will get ₹5 lakh annual cashless cover under the state scheme. The Centre has allocated about ₹1,000 crore for the rollout, with the state contributing 40%.
A total of 1,930 hospitals, 1,303 private and 627 government, have been empanelled. Mukherjee said the existing Swasthya Sathi scheme will run alongside for two to three months before being phased out. Beneficiaries are advised to carry their Aadhaar number. The minister warned hospitals against turning away patients, saying a nodal team will hold fortnightly reviews to prevent billing irregularities.
The Indian Opinion
After years of resistance, Mamata Banerjee's government has finally signed up for Ayushman Bharat. Some will call it a U-turn, others a pragmatic move. Bengal's own Swasthya Sathi was popular but limited to state empanelled hospitals. The real test will be whether the 1,930 hospitals, especially private ones, actually treat patients without excuses. Watch the first fortnightly review meeting in September, that will tell us if this is a genuine overhaul or just a rebranding exercise.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
