Nearly 22 crore beneficiaries verified under Ayushman Bharat Scheme: Economic Survey

Approximately 4.3 crore hospital admissions, amounting to Rs. 50,409 crore, have also been authorised under the scheme through a network of over 26,055 hospitals, highlights the Economic Survey 2022-23.

The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2022-23 in Parliament today.

The Pre-budget Survey observes that AB-PMJAY is the world’s largest health insurance scheme that aims to minimise the Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) of the target beneficiaries arising due to expenditure on healthcare.

The scheme provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to over 10.7 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) that form the bottom 40 per cent of the Indian population identified based on the deprivation and occupational criteria of the SocioEconomic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) and other State schemes.

Ayushman Bharat – Heath and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)

1,54,070 AB-HWCs have been operationalized across the country by upgrading the SHCs and PHCs in rural and urban areas, states the Survey.

The AB-HWCs provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care, by expanding and strengthening the existing Reproductive & Child Health services and Communicable Diseases services and by including services related to Non- Communicable Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and 3 common cancers, viz. Oral, Breast and Cervix. The first HWCs was inaugurated on 14 April 2018 in the Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh.

 According to the Economic Survey, as on 31 December 2022:

1,54,070 HWCs operationalised across the country.

 More than 135 Crore cumulative footfall.

More than 87.0 Crore cumulative screening of Non communicable diseases

More than 1.6 crore Wellness Sessions, including Yoga.

Under the e-Sanjeevani teleconsultation platform, more than 9.3 crore tele-consultations have been provided through functional HWCs at 15,465 Hubs (comprising MBBS/ Specialty/Super Specialty doctors at zonal level) and 1,12,987 Spokes (AB-HWCs at state level) across the country, as on 17 January 2023.