Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has reached a milestone by issuing over 30 crore Ayushman cards as of January 12th. National Health Authority (NHA) led initiative aims to provide health coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore beneficiary families.
Creating Ayushman cards is a crucial aspect of the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, and the program has made consistent efforts to ensure that every beneficiary has their Ayushman card. Over 16.7 crore Ayushman cards were generated in the last two financial years alone, with more than 7.5 crore created in the current fiscal year, averaging around 181 cards every minute.
Efforts to expedite card creation have been boosted by the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra launched on November 15, 2023, and the Ayushman Bhava campaign initiated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The on-spot services provided during these campaigns have resulted in the creation of over 2.43 crore Ayushman cards.
NHA introduced the ‘Ayushman App’ for Ayushman Card creation to extend reach to the grassroots level. The app, launched on September 13, 2023, has been downloaded more than 52 lakh times, enabling users to create Ayushman Cards in just four simple steps.
Uttar Pradesh leads the states with 4.83 crore Ayushman Cards, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra with 3.78 crore and 2.39 crore cards, respectively. Eleven states have over 1 crore Ayushman cardholders.
Highlighting the scheme’s commitment to gender equality, approximately 14.6 crore Ayushman cards have been created for females.
The Ayushman Card has become a symbol of equity, entitlement, and empowerment, assuring poor and deprived families protection against the financial burden of illness. The government emphasizes ensuring that all eligible beneficiaries possess an Ayushman Card.
Moreover, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY has successfully facilitated 6.2 crore hospital admissions, saving more than Rs. 1.25 lakh crore in out-of-pocket expenditures for poor and deprived families. If beneficiaries had sought the same treatments without the scheme’s support, the cost would have been nearly double, totaling over Rs. 79,157 crores.