Refusing to back down, the Delhi government’s health department has again written a letter to the National Health Agency (NHA) to reconsider its decision and allow the Delhi government to tweak the name of the Centre’s ambitious scheme, Ayushman Bharat, to Mukhya Mantri Aam Aadmi Swasthya Bima Yojana — Ayushman Bharat in the capital. This is the second letter sent by the department to the agency, after the NHA initially refused to make any amendments in the name. The health insurance scheme aims to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually and benefit more than 10 crore poor families across India. “We have sent another letter to the NHA requesting them to reconsider its decision. We are hopeful of getting a positive response this time,” said Dr Kirti Bhushan, director general of health services (DGHS). Sources in the government said the capital has around 50 lakh families, but the scheme will be able to benefit only 6 lakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, had said his government will launch the ambitious Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme on September 25. It was eventually launched in 30 states (including union territories) on September 23. “As many as 32 states have agreed to adopt a common name and we want Delhi to be a part of it. As it is a national scheme, we want it to have a common name. I have received their letter, but we would like to keep it with the national outlook only. I am going to fix a meeting to discuss the issue with the Delhi government,” said Indu Bhushan, CEO, NHA. As per the MoU signed with states, Ayushman Bharat will see a tie-up between their own health programmes and the scheme, and in each case the name of the NDA flagship health programme appears first. For instance, in Telangana, it is Ayushman Bharat Arogyashree; in West Bengal, it is Ayushman Bharat Swasthya Saathi; and in Andhra Pradesh, it is Ayushman Bharat NTR Vaidya Seva. Last month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had called the scheme a “publicity stunt”, further giving a two-page explanation on Twitter clarifying why the scheme hasn’t been implemented in the capital. On the other hand, AIIMS has signed an MoU with the NHA, becoming the first hospital in the capital to implement the health scheme. Officials said the Centre recently held a meeting with 45 leading private hospitals to motivate them to adopt the scheme which, since its launch, has helped more than 79,000 patients in getting admitted across the country.
