Why there aren’t any takers in Gurugram so far for Ayushman Bharat

According to several health department officials, the reason why there haven’t been any takers in Gurugram for the Ayushman Bharat health scheme so far is a lack of awareness about the scheme.

While it has bee more than two weeks since the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme was rolled out, there have been no takers in Gurugram for the health insurance scheme that provides a medical coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per annum.

None of the 80,000 families in Gurugram registered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme have availed of the benefits so far. (Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

According to the district health department, none of the 80,000 families from the deprived category of the Socio-Economic Caste Census, 2011 — 67,698 families in urban areas and 19,075 in rural areas — who are supposed to benefit from the scheme, have sought medical treatment at the district’s private and government hospitals.

Around 1,600 out of the 80,000 families have been given gold cards that they can show at any of the empanelled government or private hospitals to avail benefits under the scheme.

According to several health department officials, the reason behind the no-show is a lack of awareness about the scheme. “The families selected for the free treatment belong to the ‘deprived’ category and are not fully aware about the benefits they can avail. They have even been doubtful of the gold cards given to them,” an official said.

Singh said, “Though there is no particular reason that can be attributed to the no-show, we believe the families haven’t had the chance to avail benefits as they haven’t fallen sick yet. We expect people to start availing benefits in the next few days.”

Eligible families can receive cashless treatment at public and private hospitals enrolled under the AB-NHPM. The scheme will cover both pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses.

Singh said that months before the scheme was officially launched on September 23, health workers went to the eligible families’ home and briefed them about the benefits under the scheme and how to avail them. “Health workers in community health centres and primary health centres have been spreading the word about the yojana. Workers are also taking the stage in gram sabha meetings to inform people,” he said.

Till date, of the 140 hospitals eligible under the scheme, 18 have enrolled so far and 48 have shown interest to enroll, as per district health department.

However, private practitioners expressed confusion due to lack of proper information. Dr Ajay Gupta, secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Gurugram, said that doctors of private hospitals are not aware of the scheme’s specifics and the government needs to provide more clarity on how private hospitals can help in its implementation.

“The state government should hold awareness sessions with doctors and the IMA to ensure more participation,” he said.