In a letter dated November 27, 2024, the Karnataka State Health Department asked the Central Government for further assistance in implementing the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) for older residents. According to the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme’s 60:40 sharing ratio, the state asserts that it is entitled to ₹36.58 crore from the Centre. Dinesh Gundu Rao, the minister of health, noted that the Centre has not yet replied to this request.
The initial share ratio of the system was for the Centre to pay 60% of the costs and the State to pay the remaining 40%. The allocation of money is lopsided in practice, though. According to the SECC 2011 census data, the Centre only covers the expenses of 69 lakh people, but Karnataka now funds the expenses of 1.12 crore families. Karnataka is left with a greater financial burden than anticipated as a result of this disparity.
In Karnataka, 15.12 lakh of the 1.12 crore families have older folks living with them. Of them, 5.9 lakh families are untagged, and 9.22 lakh families are classified as tagged families under the SECC. The Centre has committed to giving the state extra assistance at a cost of ₹1,052 per untagged family and ₹75 per tagged family annually. But only after the 69 lakh families have been tagged will the Centre start offering more assistance to untagged families. Since there are no established techniques to connect the families with the SECC data, the State has voiced concerns that this approach is not practical.
The absence of a clear system to link AB-ArK beneficiaries with the SECC data was also mentioned by the Karnataka Health Department. As a result, the state projects that it will require ₹68.98 crore per year to fund the senior citizens program, of which the Centre should contribute ₹36.58 crore. Additionally, the state has asked for an exception from the need that older persons register separately in order to receive benefits under the plan.
Since the Karnataka government received a notice from the National Human Rights Commission, the gravity of the problem has become increasingly apparent. This came after a 72-year-old man was denied ₹5 lakh coverage under the AB PM-JAY by the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru, and he reportedly committed suicide on December 25, 2024. According to reports, the sad situation occurred when the hospital refused to deliver the benefit, citing a delay in the state government’s regulations.
SOURCE :
THE HINDU
