New Delhi, March 23: The Ayushman Bharat scheme has approved hospitalization for a total of 116.9 million people as of February 28, 2026, with 67.4 million admissions occurring in private hospitals. This information was provided by the government in Parliament on Monday.
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that strict guidelines are in place to ensure that hospitals do not deny treatment to beneficiaries of the scheme.
If a patient is denied treatment or if there are any discrepancies, they can file a complaint through the centralized grievance system or call the 24-hour toll-free helpline number 14555.
The minister also mentioned that a three-tier system has been established at the district, state, and national levels to address complaints under this scheme. Each level has nodal officers and grievance redressal committees to investigate and resolve issues.
The government has reported a continuous increase in the number of hospitals associated with this scheme. While there were 6,917 hospitals linked in 2018-19, this number has grown to 36,229 by February 28, 2026, including 19,483 government and 16,746 private hospitals, creating a vast healthcare network across the country.
The minister emphasized that the process of adding hospitals to the scheme is ongoing and is based on the needs and available facilities as assessed by the states and union territories.
Regarding claim settlements, the government stated that the process is regular and uninterrupted. State health agencies settle claims within stipulated timeframes, with 15 days for cases within the same state and 30 days for portability cases involving treatment in another state.