Northeast Delhi Left Out: No Hospitals in Ayushman Bharat Scheme Yet

As a citizen of Northeast Delhi, I recently heard about the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme starting in Delhi. This program is meant to give people free medical care. It includes 46 private hospitals, 38 Delhi government hospitals, and 11 Central government hospitals that are now part of it. These hospitals will provide medical insurance to patients in the city, and some are special eye care centers.

On April 6, 2025, the Delhi government signed an agreement with the Central government to bring this scheme here. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said Ayushman Bharat cards will be given out starting April 10, 2025, and 2.35 lakh families will get them in the first phase. That sounds helpful, but then I found out something that bothers me. Most of the 46 private hospitals are in New Delhi district, and there’s not a single hospital signed up in Northeast Delhi or Shahdara. We’re left with nothing here.

Before this, only hospitals under the National Health Authority (NHA) were helping people, mostly those coming from outside Delhi. Now, the 38 Delhi government hospitals are joining in, but it doesn’t say any are near us. The scheme covers 1,961 treatments for free, like medicines, tests, hospital stays, ICU care, and surgeries across 27 areas. For example, 22 private and 3 government hospitals will treat heart problems, 8 will help with kidney issues, and 5 will handle cancer. But without a hospital in our area, how can we use these benefits?

Big hospitals like Max, Apollo, Indraprastha, and Gangaram aren’t part of it yet. They say the government hasn’t asked them to join. Some private hospitals are also worried about low payment rates, which haven’t changed in 10 years from other government programs. A group of doctors talked to the Chief Minister and Health Minister Dr. Pankaj Singh about it. One hospital person said they’re waiting to see what rates will be for Ayushman Bharat. The health department says the NHA is forming a group to look into these low rates.
For me in Northeast Delhi, though, the real problem is that we don’t have a hospital signed up. We’re glad the scheme is coming, but it feels unfair that we’re missing out while others get help. I hope they add a hospital for us soon.