Speaking in New Delhi, Sitharaman stressed that Ayushman Bharat ensures full national portability, enabling beneficiaries to access cashless treatment at more than 32,000 empanelled hospitals across India. She said West Bengal’s absence from the scheme has left its migrant workforce without the reassurance of free medical care outside the state.
According to the minister, West Bengal’s withdrawal from the national framework has also blocked substantial financial inflows earmarked for the state’s health sector. She noted that an estimated ₹785 crore could have been directly transferred to the state under the scheme, funds that would have reduced out-of-pocket medical expenses for families and eased pressure on private finances.
Sitharaman further argued that West Bengal’s participation in PM-JAY could have positioned Kolkata as a dominant medical hub for eastern and northeastern India. The higher patient volume supported by the national health insurance system, she said, would have accelerated private investment, modernisation and expansion of medical infrastructure in the region.
The finance minister’s remarks add new weight to the ongoing debate over the state’s decision to opt out of the Centre’s flagship healthcare programme, underscoring the broader implications for public welfare, regional healthcare capacity and the long-term economic prospects of West Bengal’s medical ecosystem.
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