Our scheme ‘10 times bigger’ than Centre’s Ayushman: Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday, saying that the Delhi government’s health scheme is “ten times bigger and comprehensive” than the Centre’s flagship Ayushman Bharat programme.

Mr Kejriwal said that if the AAP government’s health scheme is closed and the Ayushman Bharat is implemented in Delhi, it will be a loss for the citizens of the national capital.

The AAP supremo’s comments come a week after Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that the AAP dispensation would not implement Ayushman Bharat scheme in the city as it seeks to provide equitable treatment to all residents here.

Mr Jain said that if the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was so good, why were people from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh “forced” to seek treatment at government hospitals in Delhi.

In his two-page letter in Hindi to Dr Harsh Vardhan, the CM pointed out that hardly any Delhiite goes to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to get treatment, which indicates that Delhi’s present health scheme is functioning well.

His comments come days after Mr Harsh Vardhan wrote to the chief ministers of Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal, urging them to join the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme.

In the letter, the chief minister also drew a comparison between the AAP government’s scheme and the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Under the Ayusman Bharat Yojna, there is less than 10 per cent of beneficiaries in Delhi while in the AAP government’s scheme every citizen is a beneficiary. It means Delhi’s 2 crore population is covered, he said.

Mr Kejriwal added, “Those whose income is more than Rs 10,000 do not come under Ayusman Bharat, which means those earning less than minimum wages (notified by Delhi government) are out of this scheme.”

He also said that under the Ayusman Bharat, beneficiary will get treatment of upto Rs 5 lakh, but under the AAP dispensation’s scheme, there is no such limit and hence the government bears all expenses, even if it is Rs 30 lakh.