Free treatment provided under AB-PMJAY to over 1.26 crore beneficiaries: Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi [India], September 22 (ANI): Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that free treatment has been provided to more than 1.26 crore beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and more than 12.5 crore e-cards have been issued since the launch of the scheme in 2018.
The minister, who chaired the 'Aarogya Manthan' 2.0 to celebrate the second anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), said that the scheme provides financial risk protection to over 53 crore Indians from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds by assuring them a health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per eligible family per year to avail cashless inpatient secondary and tertiary healthcare.
"It has provided treatments worth more than Rs. 15,500 crore. It has saved crores of lives and households from getting wiped out due to catastrophic expenditure on health that pushed an estimated 6 crore families below poverty line each year. Nearly half of the beneficiaries have been girls and women. Successful implementation of the scheme gives me immense pleasure as it helps those who are at the receiving end," the minister said.
"The scheme has provided free treatment to more than 1.26 crore beneficiaries. Over 23,000 hospitals have been empanelled so far and more than 12.5 crore e-cards have been issued. 57 per cent of the total amount utilised under PMJAY has been for tertiary procedures related to the treatment of major illnesses like cancer, cardiac ailments, orthopaedic problems, and neo-natal," he added.
According to an official release, the minister noted that 45 per cent of the empanelled hospitals are private facilities providing 52 per cent of the overall treatment and raising 61 per cent of the hospital admissions claims amount.
He said that portability has been built into the design of the scheme and has enabled 1.3 lakh citizens of the migrant population to avail of care at the nearest hospital.
He said PMJAY's capability building approach would go a long way in making the Prime Minister's dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat a reality. (ANI)