Residents of States like Odisha and Rajasthan, which have refused to be part of the Central health flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Jan Swasthya Yojana (PMJAY), can avail health insurance benefits provided by their respective States at the AIIMS like institutes in their region.
“We want that all the patients coming to the AIIMS should get better health benefits. Of course, patients of those States which are enrolled with the PMJAY will get benefits under the health insurance scheme while those which have refused to be part of the Central health programme, can get reimbursement under their respective health insurance schemes,” said a senior official from the Ministry.
The Ministry has shot off a letter to the Director of all the six AIIMS — Rishikesh, Bhopal, Patna, Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar and Raipur — to get themselves empanelled under the concerned health insurance schemes of the respective State Governments. Currently these six institutes are fully functional and are providing OPD and IPD facilities.
“Earlier, the Ministry had advised all new AIIMS to on-board and get empanelled under the PMJAY scheme. They have also been advised to immediately put in place a facilitation counter with Arogya mitras for identification and registration of the PMJAY beneficiaries, if not already done. While in Delhi, Bhubneshwar and Jodhpur new AIIMS have already started operating, their home states are yet to join the scheme.
"The AIIMS in these two states have been asked to register themselves with the respective State health insurance schemes," said the official.
Odisha has started its own Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana that will provide Rs 5 lakh annual health cover to 70 per cent of the State's population. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had rejected the central scheme claiming that the state's healthcare scheme covers many more people than Ayushman Bharat and provides Rs 7 lakh to women as opposed to the central programme's Rs 5 lakh.
Similarly, Rajasthan is implementing Bhamashah Health Insurance Scheme since 2015 covering about 92 lakh families, belonging to National Food Security Act and "Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana" providing a benefit cover to each family.
Telangana also chose not to implement the healthcare scheme, saying that the state's own flagship healthcare scheme Aarogyasri covers 70% of the state's population while Ayushman Bharat will only benefit 80 lakh people.
Last year on September 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the ambitious healthcare scheme 'Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
The PMJAY is a programme providing annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh for 10.74 crore families.