Pune: In just six months, 104 private hospitals across the district have been added to the state’s flagship health insurance programme, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY), and central government’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), according to district health officials.
The Public Health department had launched a state-wide drive in January to expand the network of hospitals empanelled under the two schemes, which provide citizens free or cashless treatment on several procedures and surgeries. Since the launch of the campaign, the number of empanelled hospitals in Pune district has increased from 98 to 202, said the officials.
The MJPJAY scheme was launched in 2012 and revamped in 2023 to make it universal and increase the treatment cover from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh. Under the PMJAY scheme, beneficiaries are provided coverage of upto ₹5 lakh per year, per family. Currently, there are 1,359 private and 672 government facilities empanelled under both schemes in the state, covering 1,352 health procedures.
Dr Priti Lokhande, district coordinator of MJPJAY and PMJAY, said that the newly-added 104 hospitals include private hospitals and medical colleges with 30 beds to 200 beds. “With a larger number of hospitals getting empanelled, specialised and emergency healthcare will become more accessible to people, especially in semi-urban and rural areas. Twenty five other hospitals are also in the process of getting empanelled,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Priti Lokhande, district coordinator of MJPJAY and PMJAY, said that the newly-added 104 hospitals include private hospitals and medical colleges with 30 beds to 200 beds. “With a larger number of hospitals getting empanelled, specialised and emergency healthcare will become more accessible to people, especially in semi-urban and rural areas. Twenty five other hospitals are also in the process of getting empanelled,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Nagnath Yempalle, district civil surgeon, said that beneficiaries can avail treatment for a wide range of illnesses, surgeries, and procedures without bearing the financial burden. “The state health department plans to keep up the drive to ensure that people have more choices for treatment nearer home.”
However, charitable hospitals in the city are unwilling to participate. On April 21, the state issued a Government Resolution (GR) making it mandatory for such hospitals to join state and central health schemes. In response, the Association of Hospitals (AOH) in Pune filed a writ petition with the Bombay high court, citing financial and practical difficulties as reasons for their opposition to the government decision.