ECONOMY
PM-Jay scheme picks up the tab for over Rs 1.1-lakh crore treatment charges
- IBJ Bureau
- Nov 04, 2024
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) has provided over Rs 1.1 lakh crore in free hospitalisation benefits to beneficiaries since its launch in September 2018. The scheme has significantly enhanced healthcare accessibility for India’s most vulnerable population. According to the official data, more than 7.9 crore individuals have benefited from PM-JAY scheme, which provides an annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh.
The scheme was made available for 10.7 crore poor households in the country since September 2018, covering the bottom 40 per cent of India’s population.
PM-JAY can help in reducing out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure, which has pushed crores of people into poverty. At the scheme’s inception, around 62 per cent of healthcare costs were paid directly by individuals, a burden that drove many into financial hardship.
States with the highest number of beneficiaries include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat.
Under PMJAY, close to 2,000 procedures are available for beneficiaries to get cashless treatment which includes all the costs related to treatment, medicines, supplies, diagnostic services, physician’s fees, room charges, surgeon’s charges, OT & ICU charges, etc. The top speciality care treatments utilised by beneficiaries to date are general medicine, infectious diseases, general surgery, medical oncology, ophthalmology and orthopaedics. Among the procedures opted by the people are haemodialysis, screening for COVID-19, multiple packages and acute febrile illness.
Over 35.54 crore Ayushman Cards have been issued to eligible individuals, enabling them to access healthcare at 30,672 empanelled public and private hospitals.
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