By The Sampadak Express
In a significant development, the Delhi government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Authority (NHA) on Saturday to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the national capital. The move is set to benefit approximately 3.6 million people in Delhi, including over 650,000 families and an estimated 600,000 senior citizens.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda announced that under the scheme, Delhi residents will receive health coverage, with 3.6 million people set to benefit from an annual health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family. The Delhi government will provide an additional Rs 5 lakh cover to eligible families, bringing the total coverage to Rs 10 lakh per family.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta revealed that the first phase of the scheme would cover 235,000 families, with card distribution scheduled to begin on April 10. The scheme will provide access to 1,961 treatment packages across 27 specialities in more than 30,000 empanelled hospitals across India. Gupta also mentioned that the Delhi government has allocated Rs 2,144 crore in its state budget for the implementation of the PMJAY scheme.
As part of the initiative, Delhi will also set up 400 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs to facilitate healthcare access. This makes Delhi the 35th state or union territory to join the Centre’s health insurance scheme, with only West Bengal yet to adopt PMJAY.
Under the existing financing model, the state and Centre will share costs at a 60:40 ratio, in line with other states and union territories that have implemented the scheme. The NHA will oversee the operational guidelines and technical support for the initiative, while the Delhi State Health Agency will be responsible for tasks such as card printing, distribution, and empanelment of healthcare providers.
The PMJAY, which was launched in 2018, aims to provide health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation, benefiting over 550 million people across India. Eligibility for the scheme is determined based on the deprivation and occupational criteria outlined in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011.
In addition to PMJAY, the Delhi government is expected to sign another MoU with the Centre for the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM). Officials anticipate an allocation of Rs 2,400 crore to improve health infrastructure in the city under this mission.
