West Bengal Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari has made a big announcement after a virtual meeting with Union Health Minister JP Nadda. He announced that Ayushman Bharat cards will be given in the state from July. Rs 976 crore was allocated for Bengal under Ayushman Bharat scheme. This will bring the state back into the Centre’s flagship health insurance program.
Shubhendu Adhikari According to this, about six crore beneficiaries currently covered under the Swasthya Sathi scheme run by the state will be brought under Ayushman Bharat. He said that this step will not only benefit the residents of West Bengal but also the people of the state working elsewhere in the country.
The Ayushman Bharat scheme was originally launched in West Bengal on September 23, 2018, but the then Trinamool Congress government withdrew from the program on January 10, 2019 and decided to focus on its Swasthya Saathi health coverage model instead. There was also a controversy when TMC criticized the Center regarding the branding and credit sharing of this scheme.
Bengal got Rs 976 crore
To give a health boost again, Shubhendu Adhikari said the Center has earmarked a central share of Rs 976 crore for Ayushman Bharat in West Bengal and the funds which were given in the last two years but were not approved by the previous government, will now be returned.
The Chief Minister also announced a big health related package for the state. The Center will supply more than seven lakh vaccine doses to West Bengal, this program will be started on May 30 from Bidhannagar Hospital in Kolkata. With this, the cervical cancer vaccination campaign will start in the state from May 30.
Central government will provide all possible help… said JP Nadda
In the meeting, emphasis was laid on better implementation of National Health Mission (NHM), Prime Minister Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) and other big health schemes. Union Minister JP Nadda assured that the Central Government will provide all possible help and support to strengthen the health infrastructure in West Bengal.
The Central Government said that a total of Rs 3,505.59 crore has been sanctioned under NHM for West Bengal, out of which Rs 527.58 crore has been released as the first installment. In the meeting, the HPV vaccination campaign being run across the country and the effective implementation of TB-free India campaign in West Bengal were also discussed. Nadda said that public participation is very important to make these campaigns successful.
Target to open 469 Prime Minister Jan Aushadhi Centers
The BJP government has set a target of opening 469 Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Centers in the state. Along with this, a proposal was sent to the Center to open new medical colleges in Alipurduar, Kalimpong, South Dinajpur and West Bardhaman.
The proposal to open AIIMS in North Bengal was also sent to the Central Government. An allocation of Rs 2103 crore was made under the National Health Mission for rebuilding the health services of Bengal.
Rs 500 crore was released to the state on Saturday itself. The Center assured to release the pending amount of previous years also soon if the utilization certificate of 2021-22 is submitted by May 30. Concern was also expressed over the acute shortage of doctors and nurses in the state. As against the sanctioned posts, only 53 percent doctors and nurses are working in the state.
The mortality rate of children under five years of age is higher in Bengal than in many states of the country. The situation in Kolkata, Murshidabad, Purba Bardhaman, Birbhum and Malda was said to be the most worrying.
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