Ayushman Bharat: Patients struggle as registration remains suspended at Akshaya centres

Kozhikode: The decision to suspend the registration process for Ayushman Bharat insurance cardholders at Akshaya Centres has put many beneficiaries in a difficult situation. As a result, patients are now required to visit hospitals in person for registration.

Previously, patients could easily register through the Akshaya centres. According to officials, the decision to suspend the service provided at Akshaya Centres was taken after incidents of fraud were reported, where individuals tampered with the ration cards to create fake insurance documents.

To prevent such fraudulent activities, the government mandated linking the Aadhaar and ration cards during registration. This move has successfully eliminated all possibilities of fraud. However, many patients and their families argue that this new process is burdensome, especially due to technical issues with the website. 

In 2018-19, the government invited holders of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) card to renew their insurance under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana scheme. Those with the RSBY card must now renew and register it when seeking treatment. Unfortunately, the website at Akshaya Centre frequently crashes, adding to patients' confusion and frustration.

If the Akshaya Centre registration option were reinstated, patients could register at a nearby centre. Even in case of a website crash, they could return the following day without the added hassle of travelling long distances.

As things stand, patients, including the elderly, often travel for hours to reach the hospital, only to discover that the website is down. Many endure long waits, only to be told they must return another day. Some patients report needing to visit the hospital five or six times before they can successfully register.

Officials attribute these technical problems to the sheer volume of registrations on the same platform, with over 50 crore people across the country enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. 

However, authorities have assured the public that the launch of a new, updated website should alleviate these problems significantly, making the process smoother for patients in the future.