New Delhi, June 16: Punjab has again written to the Centre that it will sign the Memorandum of Understanding to operationalise the ambitious National Health Protection Scheme under Ayushman Bharat Mission the moment it gets clarity on the flow of finances.
Across India, NHPS seeks to cover 10 crore poor families listed under the socio-economic caste census. Each family will get a financial protection of Rs 5 lakh annually.
“We need to know the distribution of expenses between the Centre and the states. We are not averse to signing the MoU. But we have questions and are looking for clarity,” Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra told The Tribune.
At the first meeting between the Centre and state health ministers on NHPS on Thursday, Punjab did not sign the MoU. Even at the North Zone meeting held in Shimla recently, Punjab had refrained from joining the scheme under which it will have 14.96 lakh beneficiaries.
In his letter to Health Minister JP Nadda, Mohindra said, “The Centre will release 60 per cent of the national ceiling rate as it determines under the scheme. This rate has not been shared with the states.
This also means the Centre will not contribute 60 per cent of the actual premium rate achieved through open tendering process the state conducts. The states will have to pay 100 per cent contribution on account of excess amount of premium over and above the national ceiling rate. So the state share is also not fixed at 40 per cent, but is open ended. This needs clarity.”
The Centre will fix a national ceiling rate for the per person premium that can be charged by insurance companies tendering for NHPS in a particular state. This rate is still being negotiated under the scheme, which says the Centre and state will share the expense in a 60:40 ratio.
Mohindra’s letter also wants assurance on the Centre sharing the administrative expense for setting up state health agencies which will implement the scheme, besides paying for the huge workforce of “Ayushman mitras” which every hospital empanelled under NHPS will have to employ.
Punjab has concerns even on NHPS package rates for 1,350 medical procedures finalised by the Centre. The Centre says states cannot raise these package rates beyond 10 per cent — a matter of concern for many states that want flexibility.
That said, The Tribune has learnt that Punjab has already started identifying beneficiaries under NHPS and has conducted the first round of identification of beneficiaries. This shows Punjab is ready to sign the MoU provided its concerns are addressed. Bengal, Delhi and Odisha did not attend the Centre’s meeting on NHPS. Twenty states have so far signed the MoUs. Everyone must sign for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch NHPS nationally.
Source Tribune India
