West Bengal is set to become part of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme starting Monday, with an upcoming memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing between the state government and the National Health Authority (NHA) in the national capital. This move will mark West Bengal as the 36th state to be linked to the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The MoU signing ceremony will witness the presence of Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Ayushman Bharat, initiated by the Union Government in 2018, was previously not adopted by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal due to the presence of the state’s own health insurance scheme, Swastha Sathi. However, Chief Minister Adhikari has announced the integration of the existing six crore Swastha Sathi beneficiaries into the Ayushman Bharat scheme, allowing new enrollments under the Central scheme.
During a campaign rally before the recent West Bengal Assembly polls, the Prime Minister criticized the former Trinamool Congress government for withholding benefits of various Central schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, from the people of the state. Following the change in government, efforts were promptly initiated to align West Bengal with all Central schemes, including Ayushman Bharat.
Chief Minister Adhikari, in a recent media briefing at the state secretariat, Nabanna, highlighted the disparities faced by West Bengal residents under different Central schemes during the previous administration. Complaints from Swastha Sathi beneficiaries regarding non-cooperation from private medical institutes and delays in reimbursement of treatment costs by the state exchequer were common issues.
