On Friday, health minister Harsh Vardhan said in Lok Sabha that almost 10.74 crore poor families in the country have been benefited from the Ayushman Bharat under which free treatment up to Rs five lakh can be availed.

He said during the Question Hour that as on July 23, a total of 16,039 hospitals (8,059 private hospitals and 7,980 public hospitals) have been enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The total number of beneficiary families under AB-PMJAY are approximately 10.74 crore. He also said that under AB- PMJAY, states are free to add additional families at their own cost and have the flexibility to choose the mode of implementation. They can either implement it in insurance mode, or through a trust or in a mixed mode i.e. both the insurance and trust mode. The minister also said the states implementing scheme through insurance mode select insurance companies through open tender process.