Context:
Under Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY, treatments worth ₹1.73 lakh crore have been sanctioned, covering 11.69 crore hospital admissions, reflecting its expanding reach in healthcare access.
Key Highlights:
- Government Initiative / Policy Details
- Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY provides ₹5 lakh per family per year for hospitalization.
- Covers secondary and tertiary care services.
- A centrally sponsored scheme, jointly funded by Centre and States.
- Data & Performance
- Total sanctioned treatments: ₹1.73 lakh crore (as of Feb 28).
- Total admissions: 11.69 crore.
- Recent trend: 4.40 crore admissions in last two financial years.
- Stakeholders Involved
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- State governments and empanelled hospitals.
- Beneficiaries: economically vulnerable families.
- Significance
- Enhances financial risk protection against catastrophic health expenditure.
- Improves access to quality healthcare.
- Strengthens universal health coverage (UHC) goals.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Ayushman Bharat has two components:
- Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs).
- PMJAY (insurance-based hospitalization scheme).
- Target beneficiaries identified using SECC 2011 data.
- Provides cashless and paperless access at empanelled hospitals.
- Covers over 50 crore population (~40% of India).
- Implemented through National Health Authority (NHA).
Relevant Mains Points:
- Role in Social Justice
- Reduces health inequities and supports vulnerable populations.
- Aligns with Right to Health and SDG-3 (Good Health & Well-being).
- Economic Impact
- Prevents medical impoverishment.
- Boosts healthcare infrastructure and private participation.
- Governance & Implementation Challenges
- Issues of fraud, overbilling, and package misuse.
- Uneven state capacity and hospital distribution.
- Awareness gaps among beneficiaries.
- Way Forward
- Strengthen monitoring and fraud detection systems.
- Expand primary healthcare integration (HWCs).
- Increase healthcare infrastructure in rural areas.
- Improve awareness and digital health systems (ABDM integration).
UPSC Relevance:
• GS 2: Governance (Welfare schemes, health sector)
• GS 2: Social Justice (Access to healthcare)
• GS 3: Economy (Human capital, health financing)