New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday (September 26), said that the launch of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme was not only focussed on making citizens but to make them free from the burden of healthcare expenditure. Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day Arogya Manthan 2023, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Ayushman Bharat PMJAY five years ago with the vision of creating an ‘Ayushman Bharat’ where every citizen is not only healthy but also free from the burden of healthcare expenditure.”
Also Read: Over Five Lakh Beneficiary Cards Made In Four Days Under Ayushman Bhav Campaign: Centre
Health Ministry and NITI Ayog celebrated the completion of five years of Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, and two years of Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission, here today.
Prof. S P Singh Baghel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare; Keshab Mahanta, Health Minister, Assam and Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the event, Health Minister Mandaviya said that the two days of Arogya Manthan have proved to be an excellent opportunity to deliberate on pertinent issues related to quality healthcare services to the poorest and most vulnerable population of the country. He said,
When PM-JAY was launched, health was not on the top of the agenda for many. But today, we have come a long way in our journey, crossing the milestone of over 5.6 crore hospital admissions worth over Rs. 69,000 crore. We can see the transformational value of AB PMJAY.
He also added that many of these hospital admissions have been availed for life-threatening diseases, whose total cost of treatment would have been 1.5–2 times higher if the beneficiaries had availed the same treatment on their own outside the ambit of AB PMJAY.
On the closing day of the two-day Arogya Manthan 2023 event, the Union Health Minister awarded the top-performing States and Union Territories in various categories.
Among the various award categories of ABPMJAY, the award for “Highest Ayushman Card Creation” was earned by Assam, Nagaland, and Jammu & Kashmir. Karnataka and Tripura secured the accolade for the “Highest Percentage of Utilization in Public Hospitals.” An official statement said,
For Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, Andhra Pradesh was awarded as the “Top State in Linking Health Records with ABHA,” while Uttar Pradesh emerged as the “Top State in Generation of ABHA Scan and Share Tokens” of the numerous award categories.
While presenting the awards to the outstanding states, districts, integrators, and health facilities, Dr Mandaviya emphasised the significance of the Ayushman Bharat initiative in putting women at the front and centre of the national conversation on health.
He highlighted that “females account for approximately 49 per cent of Ayushman card recipients, verified under the PMJAY IT platform. More than 48 per cent of authorised hospital admissions have been availed by women while over 141 medical procedures under PMJAY are exclusively earmarked for women.”
Also Read: Healthcare Experts Laud G20 Delhi Declaration For Three Health Priorities
The Union Health Minister stated that “ensuring delivery of Ayushman Card to all eligible beneficiaries is fundamental to the scheme’s development”.
On this note, he pointed out the launch of two new initiatives, Aapke Dwar Ayushman (ADA 3.0) launched by NHA and the ‘Ayushman Bhav’ campaign launched by the President of India on September 13, 2023. These two initiatives are designed to give a further push to increasing health coverage in the country.
Dr Mandaviya also stated that the ABDM, which was started on 27 September 2021, is a very ambitious government program aimed at constructing a digital highway connecting all the important players in healthcare ecosystems.
He highlighted that more than 45 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been generated in the last two years. He further stated,
These ABHA accounts have been linked to over 30 crore health records. The scheme attempts to improve healthcare delivery by harnessing digital technologies.
As old as the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana itself, the first beneficiary of the scheme in the country, 5 years old Karishma was felicitated today at Arogya Manthan 2023 by Union Health Minister Dr Mandaviya.
Minister of State SP Singh Baghel emphasised the significance of information technology in achieving the Prime Minister’s vision of accessible health care throughout the country.
He also outlined plans to connect every village in India through high-speed optical fiber in the coming years, a development that would ensure widespread connectivity and continuous access to healthcare services.
Dr VK Paul stated that the AB PM-JAY and the ABDM are two pathbreaking health initiatives of the Union Government. He urged the private sector to participate more actively in these two initiatives and contribute to nation-building. He also emphasised making strategic purchases of medical equipment to save the cost of treatment.
Also Read: WHO Summit’s ‘Gujarat Declaration’ Reaffirms Global Commitment Of Traditional Medicine
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoilets are used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
