30 hospital admissions undertaken per minute under the Centre's health scheme. (Representational)
As many as 177 Ayushman Bharat cards are made and 30 hospital admissions undertaken per minute under the Centre's flagship scheme for providing health insurance, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.
Highlighting the benefits accruing to the most vulnerable and poorest communities of the country, Minister of State for Health SP Singh Baghel urged Delhi, Odisha and West Bengal to join the AB-PMJAY scheme.
He was speaking at the inaugural session of Arogya Manthan, being held to celebrate five years of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and two years of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
Ayushman Bharat is the most important government welfare scheme underway in India today, as it helps the poor access the best treatment, same as the rich which was not possible earlier, Mr Baghel said.
Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant said that 44 per cent of hospitalisations are of women beneficiaries, whereas eight hospitals are being empanelled per day, on average.
Mr Pant said that around 60 per cent of the amount has been used for tertiary care hospitalisation, which had been one of the aims of PM-JAY when it was launched.
He said that 177 Ayushman PMJAY cards are being made, along with 30 hospital admissions, per minute.
The two-day event (25th and 26th September 2023) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi will see discussions and deliberations on challenges, trends and best practices related to the two schemes.
Awards were given out to states for effective implementation of PM-JAY and ABDM under various categories like gender equity service delivery, efficient grievance redressal and the highest number of treatments In terms of the highest number of treatments, the awards were won by Kerala, Meghalaya, and Puducherry in the categories of large state, small state, and Union Territories respectively.
In gender equity in service delivery, the awards were won by Karnataka, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir in the category of large state, small state, and Union Territories respectively.
The award for the facility that generated the most number of ABHA Scan and Share tokens went to AIIMS, Delhi.
In a video message, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said that both these schemes have been essential to build the foundation for a strong nation.
The PMJAY provides assurance of Rs 5 lakh per year per family, ensuring that quality healthcare is made accessible to all, without creating any financial burden on anyone.
Pravin Pawar said that under PM-JAY around 5.59 crore hospital admissions have been undertaken. "Today, around 27,343 hospitals have been empanelled under Ayushman Bharat, providing both cashless and portable treatment facilities."
On ABDM, the minister said it has been functioning on a mission mode to help build a digital health ecosystem that supports universal health coverage, with all stakeholders together on a digital platform.
Today more than 45 crore ABHA IDs have been created, 2,19,546 health facilities have been registered, and around 2,28,794 healthcare professionals have been onboarded under ABDM, which shows that health services are being saturated, including by use of digital tools, Mr Pawar said.
She concluded her address by saying, "Our goal is to ensure that all beneficiaries have access to accessible affordable and quality healthcare with the use of Ayushman Cards, and we must continue to work together to create a healthier nation for our citizens."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)