Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce the launch of the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Scheme (AB-NHPS), which aims to provide a medical coverage of ₹5 lakh a family every year. The scheme, estimated to benefit more than 10 crore poor families, will be implemented on a pilot basis in select States. The nationwide rollout will be in September-end.
A senior health official said the scheme will target poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational category of urban workers’ families. While Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi are yet to come on board, Odisha has refused to be part of the scheme. Currently, 22 States have preferred to run the scheme on a “trust model”.
The Centre has allocated about ₹10,000 crore for the project, which is claimed to be the world’s largest government-funded healthcare insurance programme. However, it is yet to release its share of the funds to the participating States.