Meerut: A month after Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched with much fanfare by Narendra Modi government, only 42 of the total 250 hospitals in the district have applied for the scheme, which is just 16% of the total hospitals in Meerut.So far, 44 patients have availed of the benefits of free treatment on hospitalization offered under the scheme.Ayushman Bharat, a flagship scheme of the Modi government, was rolled out on September 23. It was announced by PM Modi in his Independence Day speech. Under the scheme, each poor family is assured a health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh a year. As many as 50 crore poor citizens are covered by the scheme. Those having a BPL (below povertyline) card are eligible for the scheme.“As many as 42 hospitals have applied for the scheme so far. This includes 36 private hospitals and six government hospitals. Out of these, we have verified 35 and state authorities have given a nod to 27 — which are on the scheme rolls. The others are being verified and it will be done soon,” said Dr Pooja Sharma, additional chief medical officer, Meerut. Sharma is also heading the Ayushman Bharat Scheme in Meerut.The authorities are not focusing on distributing cards for the scheme because the beneficiaries can avail of free treatment at the time of hospitalization. However, 151 such cards have been made so far. “As many as 72 patients have registered for the scheme in Meerut. Out of these, 44 availed of treatment by getting admitted in empanelled hospitals and have been discharged,” said Sharma.TOI had earlier reported about the poor response of private hospitals for the scheme. “The private hospitals believe that the government rates are very low in comparison with the actual cost of treatment. Therefore, it would be difficult to provide quality care in the amount cited by them,” said a health department official on condition of anonymity.However, authorities said over time, even private hospitals are accepting the scheme.“It is being treated as a welcome move now and private hospitals are accepting it as their apprehensions have been taken care of and they have understood the scheme better,” said Sharma.

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