NEW DELHI: People of Delhi will soon be able to avail the services of the central government’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
AB-PMJAY is considered to be the largest insurance scheme in the world.
“We will bring the PM-JAY scheme to Delhi as soon as possible,” Union Health Minister JP Nadda told this paper when asked if the central government is planning to implement the scheme.
The scheme provides Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families.
The scope of the PMJAY scheme has also been expanded and now includes senior citizens aged 70 years and above.
Nadda said the new government in Delhi after formation will send a formal request to the Centre on implementing the PM-JAY scheme.
Aam Aadmi Party's flagship programme Mohalla Clinics will be upgraded and its functioning will be probed due to various allegations of corruption, the minister said.
The Union Health Ministry will also seek a report from the Delhi Health Minister on the Mohalla Clinics. The initiative will also be renamed as Ayushman Arogya Mandir under the central policy.
“There were a few serious lapses including allegations of corruption. The issue will be investigated and accordingly, there will be structural changes. We will bring uniformity in the functioning of this clinic on the lines of the centrally-funded Ayushman Arogya Mandirs,” Nadda added.
Mohalla Clinics launched in 2025 by the AAP government were praised for improving primary healthcare accessibility in the national capital, but allegations over the quality of medicines, and ‘ghost patients’ soon surfaced.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has said that data about patients appeared to be ‘fictitious.'
It was also found that two private labs conducted nearly 22 lakh tests during February-December 2023.
Of the total tests, 65,000 were found to be fake. The government paid the labs Rs. 4.63 crore for the tests.
The Delhi Lt. Governor V K Saxena had also recommended a CBI probe into reports of irregularities in January this year. The Ministry of home affairs had also directed the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) to probe the issue.