Kolkata: Private hospitals in Kolkata are gearing up for the rollout of patient enrolment under Ayushman Bharat from July 1, with several facilities completing their registration process and others awaiting final approvals. Hospitals said they were preparing to start accepting eligible patients once the scheme becomes operational in Bengal.
The Bengal govt has earmarked Rs 3,100 crore for implementing Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the state for the first time. The allocation was announced by state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta while placing the budget in the Assembly on Monday. The scheme, which provides health coverage of Rs 5 lakh to economically weaker sections, is expected to benefit around 7 crore in Bengal.
“We welcome the rollout of Ayushman Bharat in Bengal and believe it will significantly improve access of deserving patients to quality healthcare. We have completed the required onboarding processes and are ready to extend services under the scheme. Our focus remains on ensuring everyone receives the same high standard of clinical care irrespective of the payment mechanism,” said HCG Cancer Hospitals regional business head Rupali Basu.
Most hospital administrators said Ayushman Bharat is a positive step towards making quality healthcare more accessible and affordable for economically weaker patients.
“This investment has the potential to strengthen financial protection for patients, reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, and ensure that a larger section of the population can access timely and advanced treatment without economic hardship,” said Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital MD and CEO Rupak Barua. The hospital has applied for registration.
Belle Vue Clinic received its AB-HFR hospital facility registry number on Tuesday, a day after its registration on the Ayushman Bharat portal was completed.
“A team from Swasthya Bhawan inspected our hospital physically today and we got enrolled finally. So we are already part of the AB hospital network and can start accepting patients as and when they come,” said Belle Vue Clinic CEO Pradip Tondon.
Hospitals said they were continuing to accept Swasthya Sathi patients till the Ayushman Bharat rollout and a decision by the govt on the future of Swasthya Sathi.
“Our hospital was already under the AB network for patients from other states but not for patients in the state. Now we can start treating Bengal patients once they get the card,” said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra.
Hospital administrators said there is some confusion over the integration of Ayushman Bharat and Swasthya Sathi, and they hope the health dept will clarify the process before the rollout. “We are hopeful of completing the registration procedure very soon. The allocation of Rs 3,100 crore will ensure smooth and seamless implementation of the scheme. The govt is preparing a solid foundation for enabling an overarching success of this behemoth scheme,” said Charnock Hospital MD and ICC national healthcare committee chairman Prashant Sharma.
Ruby General Hospital, which was already treating Ayushman Bharat patients from other states, has also received its HFR number to start accepting patients from Bengal under the scheme. “Our hospital is now linked for the treatment of AB patients from Bengal,” said Ruby General Hospital chief general manager (operations) Subhashis Datta.
