Mamata: Bengal tops nation in healthcare; 8.72 cr people availed ‘Swasthya Sathi’
Kolkata: Asserting that Bengal’s robust healthcare infrastructure has secured the top position in the country, with her government investing around Rs 70,000 crore in the Health sector, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday reiterated the impact of the flagship scheme “Swasthya Sathi,” describing it as a cornerstone of the state’s Health system. She highlighted that the scheme has already benefited 8.72 crore people, accounting for over 80 per cent of Bengal’s total population.
Banerjee added a pointed critique of the Centre’s “Ayushman Bharat”, describing it as discriminatory against those who own basic assets such as scooters or smartphones, and contrasting it sharply with the inclusiveness of “Swasthya Sathi,” which she said leaves no one behind.
Around 2.45 crore families have benefited from the Swasthya Sathi scheme in the state so far, bringing the total number of individual beneficiaries to 8.72 crore, Banerjee added.
“We refused to join the Ayushman Bharat scheme because it excludes the common man. Why should I differentiate between rich and poor for healthcare?” the Chief Minister asked.
“About 7,000 patients are availing treatment under Swasthya Sathi every day on an average basis, and the state has spent Rs 12,000 crore on the scheme to date. Unlike Ayushman Bharat, we do not exclude people based on what they own,” she added.
Speaking at the inauguration of several Health and other government projects at SSKM Hospital, Banerjee stated that the Health Budget in Bengal has gone up more than 6 times in the past 14 years after her government came to power in 2011.
“The budgetary allocation in Health stood at Rs 3,589 crore in 2010-11, but it has now jumped up to Rs 21,355 crore in 2025-26. Bengal has become number 1 in the country as far as the health infrastructure is concerned. We have spent around Rs 70,000 crore for boosting health infrastructure,” Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for healthcare projects worth a total of Rs 262 crore. This includes the state’s first robotic surgery system in the government sector and eastern India’s first bone bank, which will come up at Sambhunath Pandit Hospital. Of the 18 projects, 15 initiatives worth Rs 162 crore were inaugurated, and foundation stones were laid for three other projects worth Rs 100 crore.
The Chief Minister also announced that SSKM Hospital has received recognition from the BRICS countries. She said that Rs 10 lakh would be given to the SSKM as an award for getting recognised by the BRICS network. SSKM is among the two hospitals in the country to get this recognition. Banerjee also launched ‘Ananya’ — a newly constructed facility (Woodburn-2) featuring 131 cabins that will provide corporate-level modern medical care at affordable rates.
On Bengal’s flood challenges, she cited the state’s vulnerable geography and upstream water flow from Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Bihar and Jharkhand. “It’s like Bengal is floating like a boat,” she added.
The Chief Minister also lashed out at the Centre, claiming that Bengal was suffering massive revenue losses due to the lack of GST compensation and other withheld funds.
Banerjee said that Bengal would incur a revenue loss of nearly Rs 20,000 crore, with the Health sector alone bearing a burden of around Rs 10,000 crore.
“We were the first ones to raise voice, stating that premiums for Health insurance should not be increased and GST must be exempted. Many people are now taking credit for this... but do you know how much loss our state will incur? Around Rs 20,000 crore... In health only, we will incur a loss of Rs 10,000 crore,” she said.
“This has been dumped on the state, and no compensation has been given to us. We are facing revenue loss and receiving no compensation. Other states are getting it, why not us?” Banerjee questioned, accusing the Centre of adopting a discriminatory approach.
