New Delhi, Dec 20 (NationPress) Approximately 36 crore beneficiaries have been authenticated under the flagship initiative Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav informed the Parliament on Friday.
In a written response in the Lok Sabha, Minister Jadhav mentioned that under the AB PM-JAY scheme, 8.39 crore hospital admissions valued at over Rs 1.16 lakh crore have been approved.
The AB PM-JAY scheme offers health coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalizations to around 55 crore beneficiaries, which includes 12.37 crore families representing the economically vulnerable bottom 40 percent of India's population.
The initiative has also resulted in significant savings in Out-of-Pocket-Expenditure (OOPE) for beneficiaries regarding hospitalization expenses, according to Minister Jadhav.
The Minister noted that numerous states and union territories have integrated their respective State Health Insurance Schemes with AB PM-JAY.
This integration has facilitated the inclusion of over 18 crore families, he stated.
Moreover, in March 2024, 37 lakh families of ASHA, Anganwadi Workers, and Anganwadi Helpers were also incorporated into the scheme.
In October, the scheme was broadened to provide complimentary treatment benefits of up to an additional Rs 5 lakh per year for all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, regardless of their socio-economic status.
The estimated number of beneficiary families aged 70 and above nationwide is 4.5 crore, corresponding to 6 crore individuals under the scheme.
Additionally, Minister Jadhav outlined the initiatives taken by the government to address the growing incidences of diabetes, hypertension, oral cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer.
He stated that under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), which is part of the National Health Mission (NHM), 770 district NCD clinics, 372 district day care centres, 233 cardiac care units, and 6,410 community health centre NCD clinics have been established.
The Centre has also initiated a population-based program for screening, management, and prevention of common NCDs, including diabetes, hypertension, oral cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer, as part of comprehensive Primary Health Care under NHM.
Screening for these common NCDs is a vital component of service delivery, the MoS mentioned, adding that the government also encourages a healthy lifestyle by recognizing health days related to NCDs and utilizing social media for ongoing community education.
Jadhav praised the community's role, particularly the ASHAs, in raising awareness about NCDs.
