• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has crossed the milestone of 26 crore Ayushman cards across the country on 19th October 2023.

ABPM-JAY

• The flagship scheme being implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 Crore beneficiary families.
• Ayushman card creation is the most fundamental activity under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY and concerted efforts are being continuously made to ensure every beneficiary under the scheme has Ayushman card.
• PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance/ assurance scheme fully financed by the government.
• Launched in February 2018,
• Under PMJAY, cashless and paperless access to services are provided to the beneficiaries at the point of service, that is, hospital.
• Health Benefit Packages covers surgery, medical and day care treatments, cost of medicines and diagnostics.
• Packaged rates (Rates that include everything so that each product or service is not charged for separately).
• These are flexible but the hospitals can’t charge the beneficiary more once fixed.

Ayushman App

• In order to reach out to the last mile, NHA has launched ‘Ayushman App’ for Ayushman Card creation.
• The app has a unique feature of self-verification.
• In simple 4 steps, this feature enables users to create Ayushman Card without visiting any card creation centre.
• Further, any person can help beneficiaries to create Ayushman card.
• Thus, the Ayushman App enables Jan Bhagidari.
• The success of this application can be measured from the fact that the app has been downloaded for more than 26 lakhs times, since the launch of the app on 13th September, 2023.

Significance

• Ayushman Card has become a symbol of equity, entitlement and empowerment.
• It gives an assurance to the poor and deprived family that they will be protected against the double-whammy of disease and the debilitating impact of catastrophic expenditure incurred for its treatment.
• Underscoring this fact, Government is making all out efforts to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries possess Ayushman Card.
• With 4 crore Ayushman Cards, Uttar Pradesh tops the list of States with the highest number of Ayushman Card.
• Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh stands at number two and three positions with 3.69 cr and 2.04 cr Ayushman cards respectively.
• Further, it is a matter of immense satisfaction that 49% Ayushman Cards are held by female beneficiaries.
• Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY has successfully catered to 5.7 cr hospital admissions worth more than Rs. 70,000 cr.
• Thus, saving more than 1 lakh crore out of pocket expenditure of poor and deprived families.

Source- PIB