CM Adhikari highlights achievement of AB PM-JAY scheme in Bengal

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday highlighted the achievements of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) within a short period since the launch of the scheme in the state after the recently-concluded West Bengal Assembly polls earlier this year.

In a social media statement issued on Monday afternoon, the Chief Minister claimed that currently there are 3.23 crore active cards in West Bengal under which 3.23 crore beneficiaries across the state now get guaranteed financial protection of up to Rs 500,000.

He also informed that so far there had been 31,541 hospital admissions under the scheme from the state. “Thousands of patients have already received timely, cashless treatment across empaneled hospitals without pushing their families into economic distress,” the Chief Minister’s social media statement read.

He had also informed that of the 31,541 hospital admissions, as many as 716 had been outside-state admissions.

“Leveraging nationwide portability, patients from West Bengal, including migrant workers and those needing specialised interventions have accessed seamless treatment at premier institutions across India,” the Chief Minister claimed.

According to him, from expanding access in rural heartlands to enabling seamless healthcare portability nationwide, this scheme has started fundamentally transforming West Bengal’s healthcare landscape into one anchored in equity, affordability and trust.

To recall, the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal did not allow the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the state as the previous Chief Minister used to assert that with Swastha Sathi, the state-own health insurance scheme existing, there was no necessity for the central health insurance scheme for West Bengal.

After taking charge as the new and ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal earlier, one of the first things that Suvendu Adhikari did was to implement the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY in the state.

In addition to that, the Chief Minister had also announced that those who will not be eligible for the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme, will be covered under Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme. The coverage amount will be the same at Rs 500,000 a year.

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