Odisha to join Ayushman plan; Delhi, Bengal to be only holdouts

Odisha is likely to join Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) soon, with talks in final stages. The National Health Authority is set to sign an MoU with Odisha's government. Once onboard, only Delhi and West Bengal will remain outside this scheme offering Rs 5 lakh health cover per family annually.

NEW DELHI: Odisha is likely to join Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana ( AB-PMJAY ) soon, reported. Health ministry sources said talks with Odisha govt, which is now led by BJP , is in its final stages and govt may sign an MoU with National Health Authority (NHA), implementing agency for AB-PMJAY, within a few days. "Once Odisha is on board, we will have only two more states/UTs - Delhi and West Bengal - to join AB-PMJAY.

All other states/UTs have adopted the scheme," said a senior health ministry official. AB- PMJAY was launched in 2018 to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore poor and vulnerable families.

Earlier, the erstwhile governing dispensation in Odisha, which was led by BJD's Naveen Patnaik, refused to join Ayushman Bharat saying its own health scheme , Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), was superior as it covered nearly 90% of the state's population and the health coverage was higher..