Hospitals even in Delhi unprepared to implement Aayushman Bharat Scheme

New Delhi, Sep 27: Hospital in Delhi are not yet prepared to provide medical assistance to the beneficiaries of the flagship scheme of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 23, 2018 from Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Three days have passed but the government hospitals in Delhi have not been able to help a single beneficiary. Moreover, they are not doing anything for the publicity of this scheme so people are able to know about it. Hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Harding Hospital come under this scheme but nothing is happening there.

There is no publicity material on display for this scheme neither any poster nor banner. Though there is a counter of this scheme at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital but patient below poverty line visiting the hospital find it difficult to get their name as software does not have some names of people having BPL card. RML Hospital has already signed MoU with the National Health Agency.

Sources said that the counter was started on September 17 itself and around 10-15 beneficiaries are visiting hospital daily to inquire about their names but they are not getting their names in the list. Common people don't have any information about the scheme and Ayushman Mitra too don't have any answer for it.

Similarly no poster, banner or publicity material was found at the Lady Harding Hospital however the hospital has provided training to one of the staff as Ayushman Mitra. But finding counter for the scheme in the hospital is very difficulty. Staff was present there with computer but it was not connection with the software so people are returning abjectly. Hospital sources said that the hospital was already crowded how space for the beneficiaries will be provided. They are saying that the scheme was launched without any preparation and that too for a city like Delhi. Top officials of the hospitals are refusing to say anything on this.

Interestingly, there is no one to tell about the scheme at AIIMS. Even the staff members are unaware about it. AIIMS has signed the MoU on September 25 after that Director of the AIIMS Dr Randeep Guleria claimed that patients would start getting benefits of the Ayushman Bharat from September 26. No poster and publicity material was visible in this hospital like many other in Delhi. Sources said that doctors of AIIMS had played very crucial role in preparing the package of this scheme but patients appeared bothered with the scheme as beneficiaries are clueless.

Just across the road of AIIMS, there is Safdarjung Hospital which had earlier signed MoU. There is a counter of Ayushman Bharat besides the registration counter of the hospital but there is no one to guide beneficiaries with the same argument that hospitals must have prepared a little more before the scheme was launched. The situation remains the same after the lunch of the scheme.

It is being said that publicity material has gone for publishing and software is installed to identify beneficiaries. Patients coming from any part of the country will be provides benefits of the scheme. But time will tell if this is working or become any other scheme on papers. But deputy CEO of Aushman Bharat Dr Dinesh Arora said that by the next week all issues related to this will be sorted out.