Healthcare costs can often be challenging, not just for low-income families but also for celebrities. In such situations, the Government of India's Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) can be a crucial support system. However, availing of these schemes can be a daunting task, and once the process is initiated, several loopholes in the scheme's implementation may be discovered. Actress and filmmaker Divya Unny, best known for her work in Traffic, recently shared a bitter experience with the Ayushman Bharat Yojana after her father was admitted to a hospital. Sharing a video on social media, the actress claimed that over 24 hospitals listed under the government's PMJAY scheme denied providing any support for her father's treatment for various reasons. Ayushman Bharat – PMJAY: 25 Lakh Senior Citizens Enroll for Ayushman Cards in Under 2 Months, Offering Free Treatment up to INR 5 Lakh.

Divya Unni Raises Concerns Over Ayushman Bharat Scheme’s Implementation Gaps

Taking to her Instagram, Divya Unny shared a video revealing that her father had been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai's Mulund. Half an hour later, the actress mentioned that she contacted all the hospitals listed under the Government of India’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana health insurance scheme. She also shared that her father has two health insurance policies - one private and one government. Since he is getting older, they decided to utilise the government scheme because their private insurance had run out.

Watch Divya Unny’s Instagram Video

 

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She shared, "I've been trying to call 24 hospitals listed within the Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai districts on the government health insurance website, and 10 of them have denied that they are even affiliated with the scheme. Five to six of them have been completely unreachable, and another six of them are saying that certain treatments are claimable in certain hospitals only under the scheme. For example, Jupiter Hospital in Thane, you can only claim health insurance for oncology-based treatments. IN Apex Hospital - Ghatkopar, you can only claim this isurance for critical care treatments."

Divya Unny Slams Flaws in Government’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana

In the video, Divya Unny further voiced her disappointment over the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and said, "I thought health insurance was supposed to be the simplest thing. Your patient gets admitted, you pay the bill and get reimbursed, or your patient gets admitted, and you have a cashless claim where the entire amount is covered by the health insurance." The actress added that if the government of the country claims to empower its citizens, she clearly doesn’t feel empowered.

Divya added that in case things go south, she comes from a background where she can manage to handle the hospital charges, even if they are high. However, the actress pointed out how the government health insurance, which claims to benefit lower-income people, will affect them badly and leave them in a crisis if they face a situation like hers.

 Divya Unny Updates on Father’s Health, Reveals Paying Bills via Private Insurance

In another video shared on July 30, Divya Unny gave an update on her father's health and thanked fans for the support shown in her first video. She revealed that her father is doing better, although the recovery is slow. Divya also mentioned how many people shared their own stories of health insurance not working for them in the comment section of her first video. She raised a question to the entire health insurance sector, both government and private.

She also stated that a few people have written to her saying that the Ayushman Bharat scheme works in certain states and in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, primarily in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Reacting to these messages, Divya shared that she has observed how the scheme somehow functions in smaller towns, but when it comes to large urban cities like Mumbai, the implementation is far from smooth. She said, "There is something off between the provision they are offering and the actual implementation." She concluded her video by promising to share more updates on the matter. PMJY Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance Coverage Extended to Senior Citizens Aged 70 Years and Above: Know Benefits, Eligibility, Required Documents and How To Apply.

Divya Unny Shares Update on Her Father’s Hospitalisation

 

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What Is the Ayushman Bharat Yojana?

The Ayushman Bharat Yojana, also known as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), was launched by the Government of India in 2018 to provide financial assistance for healthcare for low-income families. The scheme provides medical coverage upto INR 5 lakh per family per year and benifited millions of underpivilged people over the years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2025 02:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).