The Centre's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, was officially launched in West Bengal on Sunday, 16 August, ending a years-long gap in coverage caused by the previous state government's refusal to implement the programme. The launch event was held at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, and the first patient registration under the scheme was completed at Medicare General Hospital in Bankura's Kotulpur.

Scope of Coverage

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that approximately 1 crore 43 lakh families — translating to around 6 crore West Bengal residents — will be eligible for Ayushman Bharat benefits. Every state resident aged above 70 years will be covered automatically. An additional 80 lakh residents who fall outside the Central scheme's eligibility will be covered under a newly launched Chief Minister's Health Insurance Scheme. Together, the two schemes will provide access to medical services across 38,604 hospitals nationwide.

What Beneficiaries Get

Under the scheme, enrolled patients will be eligible for treatment of 1,950 types of diseases — up from the 1,700 diseases covered under the previous state government's health insurance programme. Notably, knee replacement surgery is included in the benefit package. This is significant because the earlier Swasthya Sathi scheme, run by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, had initially offered knee replacement but later suspended it amid allegations of irregularities before relaunching it with conditions.

What the Government Said

In a post on his official X account, Chief Minister Adhikari described the launch as 'a historic milestone for healthcare in West Bengal,' adding: 'Our commitment to the health and well-being of every citizen remains absolute.' State Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee and Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel were also present at the ceremony.

Amrit Pharmacy and Affordable Medicines

Alongside the insurance schemes, the state government launched the Amrit Pharmacy initiative, which will open medicine sales centres in 10 government hospitals and health centres across West Bengal. Medicines will be available at a discount of 50 to 80 per cent. The state signed a memorandum of understanding with Benny Joseph, Technical Director (Operations) of Hindustan Life Care Limited, to operationalise the initiative.

Background and Political Context

The Narendra Modi-led Union government first launched Ayushman Bharat nationally in 2018. West Bengal, under the previous TMC government, was one of the few states that declined to adopt the scheme, citing opposition to the Centre. Complaints about bed availability and service quality under the Swasthya Sathi scheme were reported during that period. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now in power in West Bengal, the state has moved to a dual-scheme model — Ayushman Bharat at the Central level and the Chief Minister's Health Insurance Scheme at the state level — aiming to close coverage gaps left by the earlier arrangement.