Kolkata, 08 June (H.S.) : West Bengal is set to formally join the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), with the state government scheduled to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Authority (NHA) in New Delhi on Monday.

According to official sources, the agreement will mark the formal integration of West Bengal into India’s flagship public health insurance scheme, which was launched by the Union government in 2018 to provide cashless healthcare coverage to economically vulnerable families.

Senior representatives of the state government and officials from the NHA will be present at the signing ceremony. The move is being described as a significant step toward expanding health insurance coverage in the state and aligning it with the national framework.

As part of the implementation plan, beneficiaries currently covered under the state-run health insurance scheme are expected to be mapped into the Ayushman Bharat system. Officials indicated that eligible families will receive cashless treatment benefits at empanelled hospitals across the country, while new applicants will also be able to enroll under the central scheme.

The integration is expected to bring extensive health security coverage to millions of residents in West Bengal, particularly for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation expenses.

The Centre has welcomed the decision, calling it an important milestone in strengthening public healthcare delivery and financial protection for vulnerable populations. According to a statement from the Union health authorities, the inclusion of West Bengal will expand the reach of PM-JAY significantly and improve access to affordable healthcare services in the state.

With this move, West Bengal is set to become part of a nationwide network of states implementing Ayushman Bharat, further consolidating the scheme’s role as one of the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance programmes.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh