Over 8.72 crore people enrolled in Swasthya Sathi till February: Minister

Kolkata: More than 8.72 crore people belonging to 2.44 crore families have been enrolled in the Swasthya Sathi scheme till the month of February, Minister of state for Health and Family Welfare Chandrima Bhattacharjee said in the state Assembly on Thursday.

In reply to a query from Amta (Howrah) MLA Sukanta Paul, Bhattacharjee said that the state has spent over Rs 2694 crore in the financial year 2023-24 in Swasthya Sathi with over 21.28 lakh people deriving benefits of the scheme.

“2914 hospitals in the state are empanelled in Swasthya Sathi. The list of hospitals are provided to every person along with the card . There is a toll free number mentioned in the card which can be contacted round the clock for assistance,” Bhattacharjee said.

Referring to complaints surfacing against a section of private hospitals refusing treatment against production of Swasthya Sathi cards, she added that the patients can lodge complaints in the toll free number and action will be taken accordingly.

According to Bhattacharjee, the expenditure of the state government in connection with the scheme has increased by leaps and bounds.

In 2021-22, the spending was Rs 2263 crore which went upto Rs 2630 crore in 2022-23 and further to over Rs 2694 crore in 2023-24.

The scheme that was officially launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in December 2016 provides basic health cover for secondary and tertiary care up to Rs 5 lakh per annum per family.

The scheme is cashless, smart card based and there is no cap on the family size and parents from both spouses are included. All dependent physically challenged persons in the family are also covered. All pre-existing diseases are covered.

The entire cost is borne by the state government and no contribution from the beneficiary.