West Bengal to become 36th state/UT to implement AB-PMJAY scheme

West Bengal is set to join Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, extending health coverage benefits and strengthening access to affordable healthcare for eligible residents

Marking a major milestone in India's journey towards universal health coverage, the West Bengal government is set to join the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the publicly funded health assurance scheme, on Monday.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the AB PM-JAY scheme in the state will be signed between the National Health Authority (NHA), under the aegis of the Union Health Ministry and West Bengal's Department of Health and Family Welfare at Vigyan Bhawan, an official statement said  With the signing of the MoU, West Bengal will become the 36th state/Union Territory in the country to implement AB PM-JAY.

 

The MoU signing ceremony will be presided over by Union Health Minister J P Nadda, in the presence of the West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is a centrally sponsored scheme that provides health cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to eligible beneficiaries.

In the scheme, the cost is shared between the Centre and States/Union Territories based on specific geographic and administrative categories. In general states, the cost is shared in the ratio 60:40 between the Centre and the state government, while in North-Eastern and Himalayan States the ratio is 90:10.

Since its launch in 2018, the scheme has emerged as a cornerstone of India's healthcare transformation, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure and improving access to quality treatment through a vast network of empanelled public and private hospitals, the statement said.

The implementation of AB PM-JAY in West Bengal is expected to extend financial protection against catastrophic health expenditure to millions of eligible beneficiaries in the state while enabling seamless portability of healthcare benefits across the country.

It will also strengthen the state's healthcare ecosystem by enhancing access to quality and affordable healthcare services, the statement said.