100 more hospitals to be empaneled under Ayushman Bharat in Delhi

As per the list provided by the National Health Authority (NHA)—the nodal agency responsible for implementing the scheme across the country—151 hospitals in Delhi are currently empanelled under Ayushman Bharat.

The Delhi government is set to empanel 100 additional hospitals in next 10 days under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), expanding the healthcare facilities for beneficiaries across the city.

With this expansion, the total number of empaneled hospitals under the scheme will reach to 165.

The updated list is likely to include Fortis Healthcare, a prominent hospital chain.

With this expansion, the total number of empaneled hospitals under the scheme will reach to 165, said Health Minister Dr Pankaj Singh on Thursday. A formal launch is scheduled for September first week.

As per the list provided by the National Health Authority (NHA)—the nodal agency responsible for implementing the scheme across the country—151 hospitals in Delhi are currently empanelled under Ayushman Bharat. Of these, 107 are private hospitals and 44 are government-run facilities.

“In last couple of weeks, we have increased the list of empanelled hospitals under Ayushman in the city. We will further update the list,” the minister told HT.

Asked why top private hospitals such as Fortis, Max, and Apollo had not been in the list, Singh said many healthcare institutions are hesitant to join due to pending payments under the previous Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) scheme.

“Nearly ₹100 crore in bills were pending by the previous government, of which a large portion has now been cleared. Still, about ₹20 crore remains pending, which is in the process of being settled. Fortis has already applied to join the Ayushman panel,” he said.

Fortis did not respond to the queries on whether it has been included in the empanelled list.

The DAK scheme, launched by the AAP government, provided financial assistance of up to ₹5 lakh to needy, eligible patients for treatment in government hospitals in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and covers treatment for any illness or disease.

Delhi health department officials said that since the launch, a total of ₹13,337 crore has been paid for AB-PMJAY card users in Delhi, of which ₹3.75 crore has been contributed by the Delhi government.

On April 10, a MoU was inked with the Union ministry of health and family welfare to implement the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM) in the city. On April 5, a MoU was inked with the Union ministry of health and family welfare to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

With this, Delhi has become the 35th state or Union Territory to adopt the scheme. Under the scheme, eligible families will receive an annual health coverage of up to ₹10 lakh -- ₹5 lakh from the Centre and an additional ₹5 lakh as a top-up from the Delhi government, as earlier announced by the Delhi state government.

Delhi residents can get cashless treatment for 1,961 medical procedures across 27 specialities. This also includes the cost of medicines, diagnostic services, hospitalisation, ICU care, and surgeries, among others.