Upon assuming charge, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, has written to the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal, urging them to join the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the Government of India’s flagship health protection scheme.
The Minister has personally reached out to Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Shri Naveen Patnaik, and Ms. Mamata Banerjee, and is expected to engage with Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao as well.
“It is important that the benefits of a visionary scheme like Ayushman Bharat reach all deprived and vulnerable people in the country. I will make every effort to convince the remaining States and UT to bring the benefits of this scheme to their citizens,” said Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
In his letter, the Union Minister highlighted the success and reach of the program, noting that 32 States and Union Territories have already adopted AB-PMJAY. With a transparent implementation model, ease of access, and robust IT systems, the scheme has provided financial protection to crores of Indians. So far:
Over 3.56 crore e-cards have been issued
More than 27 lakh beneficiaries have been treated under the scheme
Dr. Harsh Vardhan emphasized the following benefits of joining the scheme:
Access to national portability of healthcare services
Use of state-of-the-art technology platforms and fraud monitoring systems
Zero additional cost to States
Flexibility to align the scheme with existing state health programs
Opportunity to share and adopt best practices from across the country
The Health Minister stressed that the real beneficiaries of this collaboration would be the poor and vulnerable, who would gain access to a wider network of hospitals across the country, both within and beyond their home states.
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