Delhi health department instructs hospitals to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana

The Delhi Health Department has directed more than 100 hospitals to implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana at the earliest, an official source said.

The previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government did not implement the BJP-led NDA government's flagship healthcare scheme in the national capital.

The source said the department has issued an advisory for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in 110 hospitals.

As part of the initiative, a copy of the contract letter has been sent to these hospitals to enter into an agreement with the Delhi government.

Along with this, the guidelines for implementation have also been shared with all the associated hospitals.

The source said the hospitals have been asked to sign the agreement as soon as possible so that the beneficiaries of Ayushman Yojana do not face any problems in availing healthcare services.

The BJP-led Delhi government inked an MoU with the Centre on April 5 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.

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

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

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 held right after Gupta and six of her ministers took the oath of office on February 20.