The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has announced that Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has achieved the milestone of creating 30 crore Ayushman cards as of January 12, 2024. The scheme, implemented by the National Health Authority, aims to provide health coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore beneficiary families.
Key highlights and achievements mentioned in the release:
- Ayushman Cards Creation:
- The scheme has reached the significant milestone of creating 30 crore Ayushman cards, with more than 16.7 crore cards created in the last two financial years.
- In the financial year 2023-24 alone, over 7.5 crore Ayushman cards have been created, approximately 181 cards every minute.
- Implementation Initiatives:
- On-spot services were offered during the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, launched on November 15, 2023, to ensure the saturation of various government schemes, including Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.
- The Ayushman Bhava campaign, launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on September 17, 2023, also contributed to the creation of Ayushman cards.
- Ayushman App:
- The National Health Authority has launched the ‘Ayushman App’ for Ayushman card creation, allowing users to create the card using an android mobile phone with self-verification. The app has been downloaded over 52 lakh times since its launch on September 13, 2023.
- State-wise Distribution:
- Uttar Pradesh leads with 4.83 crore Ayushman cards, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- A total of 11 states have more than 1 crore Ayushman cardholders.
- Gender Parity:
- Approximately 14.6 crore Ayushman cards have been created for females, with 49% of Ayushman cards issued to female beneficiaries.
- Gender equity is a core design element of the scheme, and 48% of treatments provided under the scheme have been availed by females.
- Healthcare Access and Savings:
- The scheme has facilitated 6.2 crore hospital admissions, saving over Rs. 1.25 lakh crore of out-of-pocket expenditure for poor and vulnerable populations.