4.21 cr hospital admissions authorised under PM-JAY till Dec 14: Govt

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Till December 14, 4.21 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 49,468.60 crore had been authorised under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Tuesday.

Launched in 2018, AB PM-JAY is the largest publicly funded health insurance scheme which provides a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families.

“As on December 14, under AB PM-JAY, 4.21 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 49,468.60 crore have been authorised, which contributes to directly reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure of the public,” Pawar said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

Under the National Health Mission (NHM), the flagship programme of the government, many steps have been taken towards supporting the state governments in providing accessible and affordable healthcare to people, he said.

Financial and technical support is provided to states and union territories to provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare, especially to the poor and vulnerable sections of the population, in both urban and rural areas.

The NHM provides support for improvement of health infrastructure, availability of adequate human resources to man health facilities, to improve availability and accessibility to quality healthcare, especially for the underserved and marginalised groups in rural areas, Pawar said.

Major initiatives for which states are supported include Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), implementation of NHM Free Drugs and Free Diagnostics Service initiatives, PM National Dialysis Programme and implementation of National Quality Assurance Framework.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), the focus is on developing capacities of the health system and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels viz. primary, secondary and tertiary and on preparing health systems to respond effectively to the current and future pandemics and disasters, Pawar said.

It is a centrally sponsored scheme with some central sector components with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore.

Under Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), comprehensive need-based healthcare services covering maternal and child health services and non-communicable diseases, including free essential drugs, diagnostics and teleconsultation services, are provided to all citizens of the country.

The HWCs are strengthening the existing Sub-Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs). A total of 1,31,150 HWCs have already been operationalised.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was announced on September 27, 2021, with an aim to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country.

The ABDM envisages bridging the existing gap amongst different stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem through digital highways. A total of 27,46,56,356 Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) had been created till November 29.

Under ABDM, more than 1.72 lakh health facilities and 1,03,886 healthcare professionals are registered.

For providing affordable and accessible mental healthcare facilities, the government is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in the country.

The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) component of the NMHP has been sanctioned for implementation in 704 districts for which support is provided to states and union territories through the NHM, Pawar stated.