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GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 4819
TOBE ANSWERED ON20TH MARCH, 2026
AYUSHMAN BHARATSCHEMEIN BIHAR
†4819.SHRIASHOKKUMARYADAV:
Will the Minister of HEALTHAND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleased tostate:
(a) whether the Government has provided data on the number of eligible beneficiaries,
Ayushman cards issued, empanelled Government/private hospitals, treated patients and the
amount of funds spent during the last three years in Bihar under the Ayushman Bharat-
PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojana, if so, the detailsthereof;
(b) whether it is a fact that in many rural and remote districts of Bihar, difficulties like a
limited number of hospitals, referral problems and delays in payment of claims have been
faced under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, if so, the concrete steps taken bythe Government
toovercome these shortcomings; and
(c) whether the Government proposes to implement an integrated, monitoring-based and
State-specific reform package of Ayushman Bharat and the Jan Aushadhi Yojana in States
like Bihar to reduce health expenditure, increase access for the poor and deprived sections
andensure effectiveness of the schemes?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATEIN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND
FAMILYWELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV)
(a): A total of 1.21 crore families are eligible under the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri
Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the state of Bihar. Additionally, 3.12 lakh families of
Accredited Social Health Activists, Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers have been
included under the scheme since 01.04.2024. The scheme was further expanded in October
2024 to cover all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, thereby increasing the total
coverage toapproximately 1.32 crore familiesinthe Stateof Bihar.
As on 28.02.2026, a total of 4.12 crore Ayushman cards have been created in the State of
Bihar, under AB-PMJAY, including 3.96 lakh Vay Vandana cards issued to senior citizens
aged 70 years and above. Out of the total cards created, 3.96 crore cards have been created
during the last three years(FY2022-23 toFY2024-25).As on 28.02.2026, a total of 1,188 hospitals have been empanelled in the State of Bihar,
comprising 433 public and 755 private hospitals. Out of these, 305 private hospitals have
beenempanelledduring the last three years(FY2022-23 toFY2024-25).
As on 28.02.2026, a total of 31.33 lakh hospital admissions amounting to Rs. 4,645.57 crore
have beenauthorizedin the Stateof Bihar underthe scheme. Out of these, 15.09lakh hospital
admissions amounting to Rs. 2,026.32 crore have been authorized during the last three years
(FY2022-23 toFY2024-25).
(b): Under AB-PMJAY, in order to improve the participation of hospitals a hospital-specific
toll-free helpline number14413 has beenset-up to address the concerns of hospitals on a real
-time basis includingconcerns relatedtoempanelment.
Settlement of claims is a regular and uninterrupted process and claims are settled by
respective State Health Agencies as per claim adjudication guidelines issued by National
Health Authority. As per these guidelines, the permissible turnaround time for settlement of
claims to hospitals is within 15 days of claims submission for the intra-state hospitals
(hospitals located within State) and within 30 days in case of portability claims (hospitals
locatedoutside State).
Under AB-PMJAY, claims submitted by empanelled hospitals are scrutinized based on the
clinical documents, investigation reports, and other supporting records, in accordance with
the prescribed standard treatment guidelines.
(c): Sincethe launchofthe scheme,theHealthBenefit Packageshavebeenrevised fivetimes.
Initially, the scheme included 1391 packages, but the latest Health Benefit Package (HBP)
2022, comprises 1961 packages across 27 specialties. This includes packages for chronic
illnesses like Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease and other non-communicable diseases. State of
Bihar hasadoptedthe latest packagemaster (HBP2022) on18.12.2025.
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