The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, today reviewed the progress of preparations for the launch of the health assurance programme under Ayushman Bharat.
The scheme will provide health assurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family. It will be targeted to cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.
Top officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NITI Aayog and PMO, briefed the Prime Minister on various aspects, including the preparations in States, and development of technological infrastructure associated with the scheme.
‘Health wellness centre’
In April, on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, the Prime Minister had inaugurated the first ‘Health and Wellness Centre’ under Ayushman Bharat, at Bijapur in Chhattisgarh.
Indu Bhushan, Chief Executive Officer, Ayushman Bharat, mentioned that, for the first time, the scheme covered the demand side of the healthcare sector.
The focus was also on disease prevention, ensuring portability and prevention of destitution. It would be a one country and one scheme to promote efficiency in health coverage, he said.
Bhushan said at present 28 states are on board for inclusion in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, while 8 states are yet to join. At the national level, all guidelines covering the scheme are in place and the IT backbone has been prepared. Flexibility has been accorded to states with regard to coverage, cost and the insurance model.
He further said that no definite date has been decided for the launch of the scheme even as it would be a staggered launch based on the preparedness of states.
Health Secretary Preeti Sudan told Businessline, “We will have to wait for an announcement to be made on August 15, on the way forward for the roll-out of the scheme.”
In the interaction earlier this week with industry players, Sudan had stated that the Ayushman Bharat scheme underpins the approach towards provision of universal healthcare and rests on two pillars.
The first pillar dwells on strengthening the private healthcare system and secondly it hastens the movement from being a healthcare provider to a player in tertiary care sector, in partnership with industry.
Accordingly, she strongly advocated the need for building credibility in secondary and tertiary healthcare by creating a transparent system. In this context, Sudan also suggested that the hospitals create a portal within their precincts on a voluntary basis to showcase their performance.