The Delhi government on 10th of April signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre to implement the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM) in the capital.
According to Delhi Chief Secretary Dharmendra, nearly ₹2,406 crore will be invested to enhance the city’s health infrastructure under this initiative.
The funds will be used to build 1,139 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs), 11 integrated public health laboratories, and 9 critical care hospital blocks across Delhi.
In a related move, the government began distributing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) health cards. The launch event saw 20 beneficiaries, including ASHA workers, receive their cards from Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
The Delhi government is aiming to reach around 2.5 lakh families in the first phase of the registration drive, which began on April 10. Under the PMJAY scheme, eligible families will receive ₹5 lakh annual health coverage. Additionally, the Delhi government will provide a matching ₹5 lakh, doubling the total health cover to ₹10 lakh per family per year.
A Delhi health agency official mentioned that the scheme covers 1,961 medical procedures across 27 specialties, and services will be available at over 30,000 empanelled hospitals nationwide.
In Delhi alone, 46 private hospitals, 38 government hospitals, and 11 Union government-run facilities have joined the PMJAY network. The Delhi government has also allocated ₹2,144 crore in its budget for the implementation of the scheme.
Launched in 2018, the PMJAY aims to offer free secondary and tertiary healthcare to around 550 million people or 123.4 million families across India. Eligibility is determined based on deprivation and occupational criteria from the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census.
With Delhi’s inclusion, 35 states and Union territories are now part of the PMJAY scheme, with West Bengal being the only exception.
