Delhi, West Bengal did not participate in national consultation on Ayushman Bharat: Health ministry

New Delhi: Delhi and West Bengal were among a few states that did not participate in a national consultation organised by the Health Ministry to seek feedback on the draft guidelines to implement the ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme, according to an official statement on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_4406609” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. PTI[/caption] The Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission seeks to provide a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year to 10 crore poor and vulnerable families across India. According to the statement, the ministry has prepared a detailed timeline to ensure the scheme is rolled out anytime after July. The national consultation was attended by the CEOs of state health agencies, and state nodal officers. Most states attended the consultation, except for a few such as Delhi and West Bengal, according to the statement. The secretary, Health Ministry, briefed the states on the contours of the mission and encouraged them to participate. The states were divided into three sub-groups to ensure detailed discussions and seek in-depth inputs on the draft guidelines. These included guidelines on beneficiary identification process, empanelment of hospitals, portability of benefits, model tender document and modalities of premium release. Each sub-group presented the summary of the proposed changes they had suggested during the discussion. Based on the feedback received from states, the ministry will release a model request for proposal and operational guidelines by the second week of May.