Chhattisgarh starts pilot run of Ayushman Bharat across 1,033 hospitals

Smart cards are ready, distribution will start once Centre gives its nod; state aims to cover 4 mn families already availing state-run Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana

The pilot run of the Modi government’s ambitious health insurance scheme for all---Ayushman Bharat---has started in Chhattisgarh.

The national health protection scheme was launched in Chhattisgarh’s restive Bijapur district this April by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The scheme, which will finally roll out on September 25 across India, will cover 107.4 million poor and vulnerable families.

“The pilot run of the scheme started in 1,033 hospitals across the state,” Chhattisgarh’s health commissioner R Prasanna said. Of the hospitals selected, 608 are public and 425 are private, he added.

The state, on its part, had made all necessary preparations for the successful execution of the scheme. Smart cards are ready and the authorities are all set to start distribution once the Centre gives its nod. The state aims to cover four million families already availing the state-run Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (MSBY).

On October 1, 2017, the annual insurance entitlement for hospitalisation under MSBY rose from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000. “Chhattisgarh is seen as a well-performing state when it comes to the national health insurance schemes, as it has achieved enrolment of around 90 per cent of the six million families in the state by issuing 5.5 million cards,” Prasanna had said.

The four million families under the MSBY would be absorbed into Ayushman Bharat, which would provide a health insurance cover of Rs 500,000. In the pilot project, 150 cases have been referred to different hospitals.

Being a new software, there are some technical issues. A team from New Delhi arrived in Raipur on Monday to resolve the issues.

Prasanna said a toll free number -- 104 -- had been set up for the convenience of the beneficiaries. In the first day, 245 people called the centre to enquire about the scheme.