Ayushman Bharat a 'failed' scheme: AAP steps up attack on PM Modi

New Delhi: The AAP on Wednesday intensified its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark on non-implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme in the national capital, with Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj terming the central health insurance scheme a "failed" initiative.

On Tuesday, the prime minister criticised the Delhi and West Bengal governments for failing to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme out of "political interests". Modi said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in the two states and called it a missed opportunity to serve the senior citizens.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Bharadwaj said, "The Ayushman Bharat is a failed scheme due to its restrictive eligibility criteria. Whereas, the Arvind Kejriwal model of Delhi gives free healthcare irrespective of the fact that you own a refrigerator, motorcycle, or anything." The health minister further questioned the viability of the scheme in the BJP-ruled states.  "You go to government hospitals in Delhi like GB Pant and GTB, and you will find so many people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Haryana getting their surgeries done there.

"People come to Delhi's government hospitals from as far as 300 kilometres away. I want to ask the CM of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Haryana, if the Ayushman scheme is such a success, then why are people not getting surgeries done in their states," he said.  The minister further claimed that the Delhi government even provides money to the central hospitals like AIIMS, Safdarjung, and RML for the treatment of the needy people.

Earlier, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also raised the issue in a press conference alleging that the Ayushman scheme is riddled with scams, citing CAG data.

He also said the scheme does not require to be implemented in the national capital as health services here are provided free of charge by his government. 

"This is not my opinion, this is what the CAG says...there are many scams in the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Treatment under this scheme will only happen when the patient is hospitalised, but there are no conditions regarding hospitalisation in Delhi," Kejriwal said. 

"Everything, from medicines costing Rs 5 to operations costing Rs 1 crore, is free. If medicines, tests, and treatment are all free in Delhi, then there is no need for the Ayushman Bharat scheme here. Modi ji should study the Delhi scheme and implement it across the country," he said. 

AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar also termed the Ayushman scheme a "scam" and asked the PM to study the Delhi health model and implement it nationwide.  "Health is an important issue for the Aam Aadmi Party. We have presented such a model of health that Kofi Annan (former United Nations Secretary-General) appreciated us. PM Modi has presented a scam under Ayushman Bharat... the CAG has to speak about this fraud," Kakkar said.

Prime Minister Modi should examine Arvind Kejriwal's Delhi health model and apply it to the whole country, she added.

The spokesperson claimed that out of 27,000 hospitals incorporated in Ayushman Bharat, 7,000 only exist on paper, and 4,000 hospitals have not admitted any patients under the scheme.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP MPs have filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court against the AAP government's decision to not implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the city.

In response to the development, Bharadwaj said, "I request to keep the high courts and the Supreme Court out from the political matters. I will request the High Court to not let itself be used for political games."

Addressing a public gathering in New Delhi's All India Institute of Ayurveda on Tuesday, PM Modi said, "I apologise to all the elderly aged above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal. I hear your pain, but due to the state governments' decisions, I cannot help you."

Modi said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in West Bengal and Delhi and called it a missed opportunity to serve the senior citizens.