No proposal to review prices of packages under Ayushman Bharat, says govt

The government on Friday said there is no proposal to review prices of packages offered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

"Constant changes in package rates can lead to volatility in rates and may have unintended and undesirable consequences for the entire health sector," Health and Family Welfare minister Harsh Vardhan told the Lok Sabha.

As many as 1,393 benefit packages are offered under the Ayushman Bharat -- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Asserting that rates are rationalised and were not fixed arbitrarily, Vardhan said that at present, there is no proposal to review prices of packages being offered under the scheme.

Since the launch of the scheme on September 23, 2018, the minister said feedback on certain aspects of benefit packages and anomalies like different rates for same procedures in different specialities have been received.

"The National Health Authority is reviewing this feedback for possible rationalisation, if required," he said, adding efforts are being made to address anomalies.

The minister said the West Bengal government rolled back the Ayushman Bharat scheme in January 2019.

The scheme was successfully run till January 10, he added.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is under construction at Kalyani in West Bengal. The approved cost is Rs 1,754 crore, Vardhan said.

"There is no proposal to set up another AIIMS in West Bengal," he said.