PUNE: Just 91 people have benefited from the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat scheme in Pune district since its launch on September 23 last year, hinting at the failure of the authorities to reach out to the needy.When it comes to the state, about 4,000 people availed the benefit of the scheme in the past five months. “There is no denying that the scheme has failed to make an impact in Pune and other districts in Maharashtra , which can be attributed to various reasons. Popularity of the existing state-run health scheme, technical riders in Ayushman Bharat Yojana and less ground efforts made to reach out to the needy are among the primary reasons,” a state health official involved in implementing the scheme in the state said.The state government had launched its flagship health insurance scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana on July 2, 2012, in eight districts of Maharashtra. It was later extended to the remaining 28 districts and was renamed as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana on April 1, 2017.“Whether it is the Centre’s scheme or that of the state, we must understand that the government is simply diverting the funds to insurance companies. I wonder as to why the government can’t put in money to strengthen public healthcare system?” health activist Sanjay Dabhade asked.When asked as to why Ayushman Bharat failed to make a mark, Dabhade said, “This scheme is more in advertisement than on the ground. I haven’t seen a beneficiary of this scheme since it was implemented in Pune, despite having a large public connect.”He said people’s representatives should make concerted efforts to sensitize private general practitioners or family physicians about the benefits of the scheme as these doctors are the ones mostly approached for treatment. “They can, in turn, make the needy aware about enrolling themselves for the scheme. But implementing agencies and government officials are mainly interested in boasting about the benefits than really extending them to the needy.”Health officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said unlike the state health scheme, Ayushman Bharat will only benefit those whose names have featured in Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) database. “About 1.31 lakh residents living in the PMC limits have their names listed in the SECC database. Hence, they have been automatically enrolled under the scheme,” Ramchandra Hankare, health department chief, PMC, said.The civic health department has received letters in the names of these beneficiaries issued by the Union government. “These letters are being categorised in 15 wards as per their addresses and delivered to the beneficiaries at their homes,” Hankare said.A state health official said these letters were like identity cards issued to the beneficiaries.Activist Dabhade, however, said the scheme (Ayushman Bharat) had been advertised or positioned in a way as if any needy person could avail the benefits of it, which was not the case. “This is how the government misleads,” he said.

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