Ayushman Bharat

INRODUCTION

The National Health Policy 2017 outlined the "Ayushman Bharat" initiative, which the Indian government introduced in 2018 with the goal of helping the nation achieve its 2030 target of universal health coverage by making healthcare services more inexpensive and accessible to its residents.

The two main elements of "Ayushman Bharat" are as follows:

Create Health and Wellness Centers: When the program was introduced in February 2018, its goal was to create 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centers to offer individuals comprehensive healthcare services near to their homes.

Pradhan Mantri PM-JAY, or Jan Arogya Yojana: The program, which was introduced in September 2018, was designed to provide secondary and tertiary care services to the most vulnerable members of society. The policy's objective was to provide secondary and tertiary care hospitalization coverage worth Rs. 5 lakh (US$ 6.63 thousand) per family year to around 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families (i.e., ~50 crore beneficiaries), who make up the poorest 40% of India's population.

The government's renewed emphasis on building up the nation's healthcare system and positioning India as a global healthcare hub will improve the nation's healthcare system as a whole and raise the accessibility of healthcare services for the Indian populace. The Indian healthcare industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 22% from 2016 to 2022, reaching US$ 372 billion from US$ 110 billion in 2016. This is according to NITI Aayog. Compared to BE 2020–21, when government spending on healthcare was Rs. 94,452 crore (US$ 12.95 billion), in BE 2021–22, it climbed by 137% YoY to Rs. 2,23,846 crore (US$ 30.70 billion). By 2025, the government intends to raise public health spending from 1.8% of GDP in 2020 to 2.5%.

NEED

• The National Health Accounts estimates for 2014–15 showed that the government health expenditure per person per year was approximately Rs. 1,108 (US$ 14.70), (or ~Rs. 3 (US$ 0.040) per day). In comparison, the out-of-pocket expenses for 2014–15 totaled Rs. 2,394 (US$ 31.77), or 63% of the total health expenditures.

  
  

• Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization's 2017 Health Financing Profile, India's healthcare out-of-pocket expenditure was estimated to be approximately 67.78% of total health expenditure, which is higher than the global average of 18.2% and indicates high spending that contributes to a high incidence of inequality and catastrophic expenditures.

  
  

• The government launched the "Ayushman Bharat" programme in September 2018 in an effort to increase public access to healthcare services and fulfill the growing demand for healthcare services and infrastructure. After its introduction, it is projected that approximately 17 crore families (or 68% of all families) are covered by PMJAY and other government-funded health programs (such as Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, RSBY Plus, and state-owned plans).

KEY INITIATIVES

With the introduction of Ayushman Bharat, India has made great progress toward achieving universal healthcare. The program's twin pillars, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Health & Wellness Centers, guarantee extended services to all citizens through reciprocal relationships.

Wellness and Health Centers

More than 1,72,528 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers were open and operating throughout the nation as of April 14, 2024.

Mantri Pradhan PM-JAY, or Jan Arogya Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana of Ayushman Bharat registered 6.5 crore hospitals as of January 2024.

PARTNERSHIP

1. In order to provide free PVC Ayushman Bharat cards to PM-JAY beneficiaries in 11 states and union territories, the National Health Authority, the highest government body in charge of carrying out the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, partnered with UTI Infrastructure Technology and Services Limited in March 2021.

   
   

2. In order to increase the capacity for COVID-19 vaccinations in India, approximately 10,000 private hospitals were empanelled under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY in February 2021, over 600 hospitals were covered by the Central Government Health Scheme, and additional private hospitals were covered by the State Government Health Insurance Scheme.

   
   

3. The Asian Development Bank authorized a US$ 300 million loan in December 2020 to support the Ayushman Bharat initiative and help India's metropolitan districts improve and increase access to primary healthcare services.

4. The NHA declared in April 2020 that recipients of Ayushman Bharat programs would receive free COVID-19 testing and care at private laboratories and hospitals under accreditation.

5. In order to improve the quality of care and treatment provided under the PM-JAY program, the NHA started express empanelment of private hospitals in April 2020 to treat serious illnesses like cancer and heart disorders.

6. The National Anti-Fraud Unit (NAFU) was established in 2020 as a result of the NHA's collaboration with SAS, a software business, to provide data analytics-based fraud and abuse monitoring across the scheme's implementation structure.

FUTURE

• One of India's main objectives for the sustainable development goals is to provide all citizens with access to healthcare. In the Union Budget 2024–25, the government set aside Rs. 90,171 crore (US$ 10.84 billion) on health. One of the main areas of focus for the scheme's future development could be utilizing technology to improve the scheme's execution and oversight.

• The government intends to use Ayushman Bharat to aid millions more people by providing free diagnostics and medications at HWCs and covering the majority of secondary and tertiary treatments under PM-JAY. The Ministry of AYUSH will be able to establish 12,500 Health and Wellness Centers under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme in a phased manner between FY20 and FY24 thanks to government initiatives like the inclusion of AYUSH Health and Wellness Center as a component of Ayushman Bharat in the National AYUSH Mission.