NEW DELHI: Number of hospitalisations under Ayushman Bharat has more than doubled in the last three months with tertiary care procedures such as angioplasty , joint and valve replacement as well as cancer care accounting for 77% of the Rs 897 crore pre-authorised for hospitalisation under the government’s flagship health insurance scheme so far, latest data from National Health Agency shows.The average number of beneficiaries admitted to hospitals increased to 10,000 per day in December from around 2,000-5,000 in October. The compounded monthly growth in number of hospital admissions under the scheme is estimated at 47% since October, according to the available data. A total of 6.73 lakh patients have sought hospitalisation under the scheme so far since its launch on September 23.States like UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, where health indicators have been poor, show a significant jump in number of hospitalisations. UP recorded 70% increase in hospital admissions under the scheme in the last one month, Jharkhand recorded over 67%, whereas it rose by more than 50% in Bihar.This assumes significance because tertiary or critical care is exorbitantly priced in private hospitals and therefore has been mostly out of the reach of the poor so far.While the number of secondary procedures like dental surgeries and general medicines continue to be higher, tertiary care cases have also increased significantly in the last one month, officials say.“The change in trend is mainly triggered by awareness about the scheme. More than 7.5 crore letters from PM have been distributed to beneficiaries through ASHA and postal department. This has effectively reached around 30 crore beneficiaries. As people are getting aware, the scheme is making them empowered,” says Dinesh Arora, deputy chief executive of Ayushman Bharat.The jump in hospitalisation, mainly in tertiary care, is also prompted by the increase in empanelments of hospitals in the last couple of months, Arora said. As per data, 65% of the beneficiaries received treatment in private hospitals, reflecting a rise in accessibility of critical care.