Kolkata: In the past three months, about 4.2 crore people have signed up with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and 2.2 lakh beneficiaries have received treatment so far, state health and family welfare principal secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam said at a two-day national review meeting that concluded in Kolkata on Friday. National Health Authority (NHA), under the Union health ministry, organised the meeting.Bengal joined the scheme as the 36th state on Aug 16. “AB PM-JAY and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission address two fundamental dimensions of healthcare transformation: financial protection and digital empowerment. Their convergence can help build a connected, transparent and patient-centric ecosystem,” Nigam said at the meeting attended by chief secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal and NHA CEO Sunil Kumar Barnwal.While charting a plan for the next phase of the two schemes, panellists focused on strengthening automated claim processing and assessing its impact on “processing time, cost savings and quality of adjudication”. The state anti-fraud unit works with NHA’s National Anti-Fraud Unit to thwart fraud.Chief secretary Agarwal said strong primary healthcare and financial protection were crucial to reducing the burden on hospitals.
