Kolkata, August 16: The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) was formally launched in West Bengal on Sunday, marking the state’s return to the Centre’s flagship health assurance programme after several years.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who launched the scheme along with the state’s Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (MMSBY), said his government was committed to ensuring access to quality healthcare for every citizen.
“Committed to the health and well-being of every citizen,” Adhikari said, underlining the government’s focus on expanding health coverage and reducing the financial burden of medical treatment.
Under the rollout, around 1.43 crore families in West Bengal are expected to benefit from Ayushman Bharat, while another 80 lakh families will be covered under the state’s health insurance programme, according to details announced at the launch.
The two schemes will provide beneficiaries access to cashless healthcare services through an extensive network of hospitals. Adhikari said the combined programmes would cover 1,240 private hospitals and 627 government medical facilities in the state. Beneficiaries will also be able to access healthcare services outside West Bengal under the portable coverage provisions of the schemes.
The launch is significant as West Bengal had withdrawn from AB PM-JAY in January 2019. Government records show that the state had initially implemented the scheme from September 23, 2018, but subsequently exited the programme from January 10, 2019.
The return of West Bengal to the national health assurance framework is expected to widen access to secondary and tertiary healthcare, particularly for families that face difficulties meeting the rising cost of hospitalisation.
The rollout also coincides with the state government’s decision to observe August 16 as ‘Ayushman Divas’, replacing the earlier ‘Khela Hobe Divas’.
With the central and state health insurance programmes now operating alongside each other, the government is positioning the initiative as a major expansion of health security and financial protection for families across West Bengal.