No beneficiary of Ayushman Bharat scheme denied treatment due to lack of funds: Government

New Delhi, March 15

No beneficiary of the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been denied treatment due to lack of funds, the government said on Tuesday while noting the scheme’s revised budget was cut due to less requirement or demand from states.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharti Pawar said the budget estimates for the scheme for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 was Rs 6,400 crore each year against which the revised estimate was Rs 3,200 crore, Rs 3,100 crore and Rs 3,199 crore respectively.

Going by the usual procedure, after review, the budgetary allocation is revised depending on fund utilisation. Accordingly, due to less requirement or demand from states, the revised estimate was reduced, she said in a written response.

As of March 7, 2022, with respect to transactions on the National Health Authority platform as well as the information shared by states and Union Territories, approximately 8.74 lakh hospital admissions worth Rs.30.60 crore have been authorised for COVID-19 treatment in hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

“No beneficiary of the scheme has been denied any treatment due to lack of funds,” she added.