Deadlock between AAP and Central Governement escalates, Arvind Kejriwal tweets his refsual of the Ayushman Bharat scheme to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

Amid the ongoing debate regarding the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the National Capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to tell the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan, that Delhi already has a good health scheme which need not be replaced by the central Government’s scheme and if it is replaced then it will affect the residents of Delhi.

The issue pertaining to the implementation of the health scheme has been a topic of debate between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government and the National Health Authority (NHA).

Also known as ‘Modicare’, the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been adopted by 33 states and Union Territories while Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, and Delhi are yet to implement it.

However, when Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requesting him to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PM JAY), Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendar Jain refused to implement it in the city.

Expressing discontent, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that the Central Government needed to implement their scheme in a more effective and efficient way.

Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, medical and hospitalisation expenses for almost all secondary care and most tertiary care procedures will be covered. The target of the scheme is to cover more than 100 million families belonging to the poor and vulnerable sections of the population. However, Satyender Jain claimed that Ayushman Bharat Yojana would cater to only 10 lakh people while Delhi had a population of two crore thus it is their responsibility to provide treatment to all and not discriminate between the patients.

“We will provide health facility to 100% population here. We won’t pick and choose. That isn’t needed in Delhi. Both the poor and the rich will receive treatment. It’s the responsibility of the Delhi government to provide treatment to all residents of Delhi,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said.