"Ayushman Bharat PMJAY was also launched to make citizens free from burden of healthcare expenditure": Mansukh Mandaviya

New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said that the launch of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme was not only focussed on making citizens but to make them free from the burden of healthcare expenditure. 
Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day Arogya Manthan 2023, Mansukh Mandaviya said," Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Ayushman Bharat PMJAY five years ago with the vision of creating an ‘Ayushman Bharat’ where every citizen is not only healthy but also free from the burden of healthcare expenditure.”
Health Ministry and NITI Ayog celebrated the completion of 5 years of Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, and two years of Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission, here today.
Prof. S P Singh Baghel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare; Keshab Mahanta, Health Minister, Assam and Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the event, Health Minister Mandaviya said that the two days of Arogya Manthan have proved to be an excellent opportunity to deliberate on pertinent issues related to quality healthcare services to the poorest and most vulnerable population of the country.
"When PM-JAY was launched, health was not on the top of the agenda for many. But today, we have come a long way in our journey, crossing the milestone of over 5.6 crore hospital admissions worth over Rs. 69,000 crore. We can see the transformational value of AB PMJAY”, he said.
He also added that many of these hospital admissions have been availed for life-threatening diseases, whose total cost of treatment would have been 1.5–2 times higher if the beneficiaries had availed the same treatment on their own outside the ambit of AB PMJAY.
On the closing day of the two-day Arogya Manthan 2023 event, the Union Health Minister awarded the top-performing States and Union Territories in various categories.
Among the various award categories of ABPMJAY, the award for “Highest Ayushman Card Creation” was earned by Assam, Nagaland, and Jammu & Kashmir. Karnataka and Tripura secured the accolade for the “Highest Percentage of Utilization in Public Hospitals.”
"For Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, Andhra Pradesh was awarded as the “Top State in Linking Health Records with ABHA,” while Uttar Pradesh emerged as the “Top State in Generation of ABHA Scan and Share Tokens” of the numerous award categories," an official statement said. 
While presenting the awards to the outstanding states, districts, integrators, and health facilities, Mandaviya emphasized the significance of the Ayushman Bharat initiative in putting women at the front and centre of the national conversation on health.
He highlighted that “females account for approximately 49 per cent of Ayushman card recipients, verified under the PMJAY IT platform. More than 48 per cent of authorized hospital admissions have been availed by women while over 141 medical procedures under PMJAY are exclusively earmarked for women.”
The Union Health Minister stated that “ensuring delivery of Ayushman Card to all eligible beneficiaries is fundamental to the scheme’s development”.
On this note, he pointed out the launch of two new initiatives, Aapke Dwar Ayushman (ADA 3.0) launched by NHA and the ‘Ayushman Bhav’ campaign launched by the President of India on September 13, 2023. These two initiatives are designed to give a further push to increasing health coverage in the country.
Mandaviya also stated that the ABDM, which was started on 27 September 2021, is a very ambitious government program aimed at constructing a digital highway connecting all the important players in healthcare ecosystems.
He highlighted that more than 45 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been generated in the last two years. “These ABHA accounts have been linked to over 30 crore health records. The scheme attempts to improve healthcare delivery by harnessing digital technologies”, he stated.
"As old as the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana itself, the first beneficiary of the scheme in the country, 5 years old Karishma was felicitated today at Arogya Manthan 2023 by Union Health Minister Dr Mandaviya," an official statement said. 
Minister of State SP Singh Baghel emphasized the significance of information technology in achieving the Prime Minister's vision of accessible health care throughout the country.
He also outlined plans to connect every village in India through high-speed optical fiber in the coming years, a development that would ensure widespread connectivity and continuous access to healthcare services.
Dr VK Paul stated that the AB PM-JAY and the ABDM are two pathbreaking health initiatives of the Union Government. He urged the private sector to participate more actively in these two initiatives and contribute to nation-building. He also emphasized making strategic purchases of medical equipment to save the cost of treatment. (ANI)