- The day aims to promote the importance of providing medical facilities to all the remote areas of India and to provide quality healthcare to every citizen in India.
- The Day is celebrated as a part of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.
About Ayushman Bharat:
i.Ayushman Bharat was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
ii.Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched the scheme in Ranchi, Jharkhand on 23rd September 2018.
iii.This initiative aims to revolutionise healthcare service delivery in India by transitioning from a segmented and sectoral to a comprehensive approach.
iv.The scheme has 2 inter-related components:
- Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs); and
- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)
Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs):
i.In 2018, the GoI announced the creation of 1,50,000 HWCs by transforming the existing Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres.
ii.Objective: Deliver Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) closer to people’s homes
iii.Services Offered:
- Cover maternal and child health services;
- Address non-communicable diseases (NCDs); and
- Provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY):
i.Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY aims at providing assured health cover of up to Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 12 crore poor and vulnerable families that form the bottom 40% of the Indian population (around 55 crore beneficiaries).
ii.It provides cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiary at the point of service in any (public and private) impaneled hospitals across India.
iii.This is the world’s largest health insurance/ assurance scheme fully financed by the government.
Note: PM-JAY was earlier known as the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) before being rechristened.
Other Dynamics of Ayushman Bharat:
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission:
i.It aims to establish an integrated digitally empowered health infrastructure.
ii.Its components include Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), Health Professional Registry (HPR), Health Facility Registry (HFR), and ABHA Application.
iii.It empowers individuals with health information and awareness, facilitating a seamless flow of health data, and aiding monitoring, evaluation, and policymaking.
Pradhan Mantri – Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM):
i.PM-ABHIM aims to bolster healthcare capacities to combat future public health crises.
ii.It addresses critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure, encompassing both rural and urban areas, and includes surveillance mechanisms and promotes sectoral research.
iii.Notably, it is the largest pan-India initiative since the early 2000s and underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing public health infrastructure.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister– Mansukh Mandaviya (Rajya Sabha Gujarat)
Minister of State– Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar (Constituency: Dindori, Maharashtra)
