New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) A total of 2.02 crore claims under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme amounting to Rs. 28,732.18 crore have been settled till October, the government informed the Parliament on Tuesday.
Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is a flagship scheme of the government which provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 12 crore families, constituting the economically vulnerable bottom 40 per cent of India’s population.
As of October 31, “more than 42.31 crore Ayushman cards have been created under the scheme,” said Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
“Till October 31, a total of 2.02 crore claims amounting to Rs 28,732.18 crore have been settled in the last financial year,” he added.
The Minister noted that in March 2024, the eligibility criteria were expanded to include 37 lakh Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Anganwadi Workers (AWW), Anganwadi Helpers (AWH), and their families.
The scheme was also expanded to cover 6 crore senior citizens of age 70 years and above belonging to 4.5 crore families, irrespective of their socio-economic status, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card.
“More than 41.34 lakh Ayushman cards have been created for the ASHA/AWW/AWH categories, and 89.51 lakh cards have been issued under the Ayushman Vay Vandana category for senior citizens,” Jadhav said.
Meanwhile, the Minister noted that a total of 1,80,906 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) (the erstwhile Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)) have been operationalised in the country till October.
Key services provided at these centres include comprehensive screening services for five common non-communicable diseases, that is, hypertension, diabetes, oral cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer.
“As per the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) portal, 38.79 crore screenings for hypertension, 36.05 crore screenings for diabetes, 31.88 crore screenings for oral cancer, 14.98 crore screenings for breast cancer, and 8.15 crore screenings for cervical cancer have been conducted at Sub-Health Centres. (SHC), Primary Health Centres (PHC) in rural and urban areas, including AAMs, till October 31,” Jadhav said.
In addition, the teleconsultation services are also available at all operational AAMs across the country, enabling people to access the specialist services closer to their homes, addressing concerns of physical accessibility, shortage of service providers, and facilitating the continuum of care.
“Total teleconsultations conducted at AAM are 41.14 crore as on October 31,” the Minister said.
