Rs 13k crore payments under Ayushman Bharat in UP

Lucknow: Over 50.4 lakh card holders availed free health care services covered under Ayushman Bharat Scheme in UP and state has paid them over Rs 13,315 crore, according to data released by State Agency for Comprehensive Health and Integrated Services (SACHIS) on Tuesday.“Ayushman beneficiaries in UP have availed treatment in 91.87 lakh cases and claims worth more than Rs 15,140 crore have been raised,” said Archana Verma, SACHIS CEO, adding that Bareilly recorded highest figures with over 1.83 lakh beneficiaries receiving treatment and over 3.72 lakh claims worth Rs 682.99 crore, while payments exceeding Rs 620.81 crore had been released.Gorakhpur ranked second with 1.71 lakh beneficiaries and 3.59 lakh treatment claims. Payments worth Rs 539.56 crore have been made against approved claims of Rs 591.25 crore. Moradabad stood third with over 1.29 lakh beneficiaries and payments touching Rs 459.91 crore.Verma said Bijnor, Saharanpur, Varanasi, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Lucknow and Kanpur Nagar reported extensive use of the scheme. Bijnor recorded claims exceeding Rs 486 crore, while Saharanpur and Varanasi crossed Rs 463 crore and Rs 449 crore, respectively.State govt attributed success to increased investment in medical colleges, modernisation of district hospitals and digitisation of health services after 2017.