Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that the government would come down heavily on those found indulging in corruption under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
The people practicing fraudulent acts will be properly identified and given punishment. The minister said that government would not hesitate to “name and shame” the guilty hospitals. The minister was speaking on the eve of Ayushman Bharat Pakhwara in New Delhi. The event was organized to mark the completion of one year of the scheme. Ayushman Bharat was launched on September 23, 2018.
The much-lauded health scheme of the Union government was rolled out to develop around 1.5 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres by the end of 2022. Presently, around 21,000 such centers are functional.
With a target of 150000 Centers till 31st Dec 2022, today, I am happy to announce that more than 21000 Health and Wellness Centers have already been created till now; will reach 40000 till 31st March, 2020.@PMOIndia @AyushmanNHA @MoHFW_INDIA #AyushmanBharat pic.twitter.com/lhLAEQPnQ8
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (Modi Ka Pariwar) (@drharshvardhan) September 17, 2019
Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that since the government has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, it would not allow any such hospitals to work if found guilty. Toeing the same line, almost 1,200 cases of fraud had been detected as of now. And action had been taken against 338 hospitals so far.
The names of such hospitals will now be put up on Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (Ayushman Bharat) website. The list would be made public. It has been reported that the National Health Authority and IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) have taken the decision in collaboration.
Mr. Indu Bhushan, CEO of National Health Authority said that the concerned authorities are taking strict actions against the culprits. In some cases, even criminal cases have also been filed. The official suggested that the hospitals found of indulging in unhealthy and fraudulent practices should not only be de-empanelled from Ayushman Bharat scheme, but also from other schemes such as CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) and ECHA.
Sharing the progress of the scheme, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that around 10 crore e-cards had been given out to beneficiaries A total of whopping Rs. 7,500 crores have been spent on treatment. Till date, more than 39 lakh people have been able to avail cashless treatment worth over Rs. 6,100 crores.
The minister also informed the media that 32 States and Union Territories have already begun executing the scheme. The leader also urged Delhi and West Bengal to come on board with the scheme so that their citizens don’t get deprived of the medical benefits provided under the scheme.