The Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has emerged as the world’s largest public healthcare scheme, offering health insurance cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family each year and providing affordable medical care to millions of vulnerable households.
Launched on September 23, 2018, the scheme aims to ensure that no family suffers financial hardship due to medical expenses. It provides cashless treatment for secondary and tertiary healthcare services at both government and private hospitals empanelled under the programme.
According to official data, over 42 crore Ayushman cards have been issued as of October 28, 2025, while more than 86 lakh senior citizens have been enrolled. The Economic Survey 2024–25 reported that the scheme has saved beneficiaries more than ₹1.52 lakh crore in out-of-pocket healthcare costs since its inception.
Over 33,000 hospitals — including 17,685 public and 15,380 private facilities — are empanelled under AB-PMJAY. The scheme covers over 12 crore economically weaker families across India, providing them access to free treatment and quality healthcare.
AB-PMJAY is a key component of the broader Ayushman Bharat initiative, which seeks to deliver comprehensive healthcare across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Other major pillars of the initiative include the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM), the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), and the PM–Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).
The Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, previously known as Health and Wellness Centres, have expanded the reach of primary healthcare services, particularly in rural and remote regions. The centres provide care for non-communicable diseases, dental, eye and ENT services, palliative care, and emergency services. As of September 2025, more than 39 crore teleconsultations have been conducted through these centres.
Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, a nationwide digital health ecosystem is being created. The Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) assigns a unique digital health ID to citizens, linking their health records securely across hospitals and clinics. Nearly 80 crore ABHA IDs have been generated so far, with over 6.7 crore health records linked.
To address gaps in healthcare infrastructure, the government launched the PM–Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission on October 25, 2021. The mission has a total outlay of ₹64,180 crore for the period 2021–2026, aimed at strengthening hospitals, laboratories, and research facilities. Of this, ₹54,205 crore has been allocated for state-level projects and ₹9,340 crore for central programmes.
The scheme is jointly funded by the central and state governments. The Union Budget 2025–26 allocated ₹9,406 crore for AB-PMJAY, the highest since its launch. Between 2022–23 and 2024–25, states and union territories together spent over ₹5,000 crore on developing and operating Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.