West Bengal Joins Ayushman Bharat Scheme, Extending Health Cover to 1.43 Crore Families

Kolkata: West Bengal on Monday became the 36th State/Union Territory to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), completing the nationwide rollout of the Centre’s flagship health assurance programme.

The National Health Authority (NHA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal government’s Department of Health and Family Welfare for implementation of the scheme in the state.

The MoU signing ceremony was presided over by Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda in the presence of West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union minister of state for health Anupriya Patel, Union health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava and senior officials from the Centre and the state government, at a ceremony here.

With the rollout of AB PM-JAY, around 1.43 crore families, comprising nearly six crore people in West Bengal, will be eligible for free and cashless healthcare services under the scheme. The beneficiary base includes 1.24 crore eligible families, nearly 15.95 lakh families of senior citizens aged 70 years and above, and more than three lakh families of ASHA and Anganwadi workers and helpers.

Addressing the gathering, Nadda described the occasion as a historic milestone in India’s journey towards universal health coverage. He said Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, launched in September 2018, has emerged as the world’s largest government-funded health assurance programme.

According to the minister, beneficiaries under the scheme have availed more than 12 crore treatments worth over ₹1.82 lakh crore. He noted that out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure has declined from 64.6 per cent before 2018 to 43.4 per cent today.

Nadda said the portability feature of the scheme would particularly benefit migrant workers from West Bengal, allowing them to access cashless treatment at empanelled hospitals anywhere in the country. He also lauded the state’s recently launched HPV vaccination programme for adolescent girls, under which more than 33,000 beneficiaries have already been vaccinated.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the implementation of the scheme, stating that it would strengthen financial protection and healthcare access for millions of families. He noted that the Centre had recently released ₹527 crore to West Bengal under the National Health Mission to support healthcare infrastructure and service delivery.

Anupriya Patel described PM-JAY as a transformative initiative that has brought healthcare security to millions of vulnerable families. She said the scheme currently covers more than 62 crore people across the country and has generated over 44 crore Ayushman Cards, with more than 12 crore hospital admissions authorised so far.

National Health Authority CEO Sunil Kumar Barnwal said the Centre’s annual financial contribution towards implementation of the scheme in West Bengal is expected to be close to ₹1,000 crore. He added that preparations had already been completed to ensure smooth rollout and delivery of benefits to eligible families.

Chief secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal said beneficiaries would now have access to cashless treatment across more than 36,000 empanelled hospitals under the scheme. Eligible families will receive health cover of up to ₹5 lakh annually, while senior citizens aged 70 years and above will be entitled to additional health coverage as provided under the scheme.

The implementation of AB PM-JAY in West Bengal marks the completion of nationwide adoption of the scheme and is expected to significantly strengthen access to affordable healthcare and financial protection for millions of families across the state.