The government may go for a public private partnership (PPP) model to increase the number of available beds in hospitals to meet the requirements for implementing Ayushman Bharat scheme, Mint has reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently announced that the scheme would be launched on the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay (25 September) during his Independence Day address. The scheme assures up to Rs 5 lakh annual medical coverage to nearly 10 crore poor families in the country.

The PwC-Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report had estimated that 1,60,000 additional beds would be required to meet the demands under Ayushman Bharat. Under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), 13.5 lakh hospital beds exist for 18 crore individuals covered under the scheme.

Further, the report estimates that at least 33 percent of the people covered by the scheme will have no previous health insurance coverage. New people covered under the scheme will have a hospital admission incidence rate of 6 percent with an average length of stay of three days.

According to Quality Council of India, close to 6,000 private hospitals may join the scheme. The participation of private sector is crucial for the success of the scheme as it caters to 75 per cent of outpatient care and 60 per cent of inpatient care. Odisha, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh are some of the states that have resorted to PPP model in health sector. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have also considered this option in recent times.