NEW DELHI :
MORE than Rs 1.1 lakh crore
has been spent in providing
free hospitalisation under the
flagship scheme Pradhan
Mantri JanArogyaYojana(PMJAY)sinceitsinceptionin2018,
according to the Government
data.
Theofficialdatashowedthat
more than 79 million individuals have benefited from the
PM-JAY scheme that provides
an annual health cover of Rs 5
lakh. It has significantly
enhanced healthcare accessibility for India’s most vulnerable populations.
“The scheme was made
available for 107 million poor
household sinthe country from
September 2018, covering the
bottom of 40 per cent population,” as per the data.
Launched in September
2018, AB PM-JAY has seamlessly integrated comprehensive care across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels to
provide universal health coverage, particularly forrura land
vulnerable populations.
The landmark health initiative addresses immediate
health needs and also emphasises preventive care and health
promotion,makinghealthcare
moreaccessibleandequitable.
PM-JAY has been key in
reducingout-of-pockethealthcare expenditures of households. Before the launch of the
scheme, about 62 per cent of
healthcare costs were paid directly by individuals --a burden that drovemany into financial hardship. Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat
are the states with the highestnumber of beneficiaries, thedata showed. PMJAY provides cashless treatment to nearly 2,000 procedures.