Parliament Question: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 1069 TOBE ANSWERED ON25TH JULY,2025 AYUSHMAN BHARATPRADHAN MANTRI JAN AROGYAYOJANA 1069. SHRIVISHALDADAPRAKASHBAPUPATIL: DR.SHRIKANTEKNATHSHINDE: SHRINARESH GANPATMHASKE: SHRIRAJESH VERMA: SMT.SHAMBHAVI: SHRIRAVINDRADATTARAMWAIKAR: Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleased tostate: (a) the details of transformative policies and initiatives which have been implemented under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to enhance healthcareaccessand equityfor citizensinthe county; (b) the manner in which the issuance of over 36.28 crore Ayushman Cards contributed to improving health coverage, particularly for women along with the measures being put in place toensure continued genderequityinhealthcareutilisationacross the country; (c) the details of the advancements made in India's digital health infrastructure through the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) initiative and its impact on healthcare accessibility; (d) the progress achieved under Mission Indradhanush in expanding immunisation coverage along with the number of children and pregnant women who have benefited from this initiative;and (e) the manner in which the Government plan to sustain and further improve key health indicators, such as the Maternal Mortality Ratio and Infant Mortality Rate, in the coming years? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATEIN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV) (a):AyushmanBharat-PradhanMantriJanArogyaYojana(AB-PMJAY)isaflagshipscheme of the Government which provides cashless health cover of up to Rs. 5 lakh per eligiblebeneficiary family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization in 27 different medical specialties corresponding to 1961 procedures. Currently, 35 States/Union Territories havebeenonboardedunderAB-PMJAY,ensuringextensivereachacrossthecountry. Tobroadenthe scope ofcoverage,Government of India launchedthe AyushmanVayVandana initiative on 29.10.2024, extending free healthcare benefits to all citizens aged 70 years and above, regardless of socio-economic status. Further, frontline workers such as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) have also beenincluded underthe scheme, recognizingtheir vitalrole incommunity healthcare. (b): Under AB-PMJAY, over41 crore Ayushman cards have been created,out of which 20.47 crore cardshave beencreated for female beneficiaries. Under Vay Vandanascheme, a total of 75.41lakhAyushmanVayVandanacardshavebeencreated,outofwhich32.3lakhcardshave beencreatedforfemalebeneficiaries. (c): Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was launched by the Government of India in September 2021 to support the development of an integrated, citizen-centric national digital health ecosystem. The mission leverages digital public infrastructure (DPI) to enable inter- operabilityofhealthdataandservicesacrosspublicandprivatestakeholders.UnderABDM, Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHAs) are created which empower citizens to access and manage their digital health records with consent across the healthcare ecosystem. As on 21.07.2025, over 79.55 crore ABHA have been created and over 64.28 crore health records havebeenlinkedwithABHA. ABDM registries provides access to health records and gateways to easily access their health records andto share them securely and seamlessly. Thisenablesthe creationof a longitudinal health history, ensuring continuity of care. Through this, citizens have access to accurate and verifiedinformationabouthealthfacilitiesandserviceproviders.'ScanandShare'isaQR-code -based OPD (Out-patient department) registration service that allows patients to scan the QR code of the facility and share their demographic details. This minimizes long queues at the registration counter and minimizes the entry of incomplete or inaccurate data. As on 16.07.2025,a totalof 22,404healthfacilitiesacross 36States/UTshave generated12.48crore OPDregistrations,withanaverageofabout3lakhregistrationsbeingenabledbythisservice. (d): MissionIndradhanush isa flagship programlaunchedin2014.It isacatch-upvaccination campaign, for vaccinating the left out and the dropped out children who have missed their Routine Immunization doses. In all the 12 phases of Mission Indradhanush conducted so far across the country, a total of additional5.46 crore children andadditional 1.32 crore pregnant womenhavebeenvaccinated. (e): Government of India has undertaken various initiatives/measures under the National Health Mission (NHM) to improve the key health indicators including Maternal Mortality Ratio(MMR) across the country:  Janani Suraksha Yojana(JSY) isa demand promotionandconditional cash transfer scheme for promotinginstitutional delivery. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant woman and sick infants (up to one year of age) delivering in public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs, consumables, free diet during stay, free diagnostics, free transportation and free blood transfusion, if required.Similarentitlements are also inplace for sick infantsuptoone year of age.  Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal check up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month. ExtendedPMSMAstrategy ensures quality antenatal care (ANC) to pregnant women, especially to high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRPtracking until a safe delivery is achieved by means of financial incentivization for the identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying ASHA for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMAvisit.  LaQshya improves the quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatres to ensure that pregnant women receive respectful and quality care during delivery and immediatepost-partum.  Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every pregnant woman and new-born visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.  OptimizingPostnatal Care aims to strengthen the quality of post-natal care by laying emphasis on detection of danger signs in mothers and incentivization of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) for prompt detection, referral & treatment of such high-risk postpartum mothers.  Functionalization of First Referral Units (FRUs) by ensuring manpower, blood storage units, referral linkagestoimprove the access toqualityof care for pregnant women.  Settingup of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Wings andOperationalization of Obstetric High Dependency Units & Intensive Care Units (Obst. HDU & ICU) at high caseload facilitiestoimprove the quality of care providedtomothersandchildren.  Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) are observed for provision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on maternal and child-care includingnutritioninconvergence with Ministry of WomenandChild Development.  Outreach camps are provisioned for improving the reach of health care services especially in tribal and hard to reach areas. This platform is used to increase the awareness for the Maternal & Child health services, community mobilization as well as to track high-risk pregnancies.  Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to the pregnant women for educating them on diet, rest, danger signs of pregnancy, benefit schemesandinstitutional deliveries.  Regular IEC/BCC is also a part of all the schemes for greater demand generation.Health andnutrition educationthrough mass andsocial media is also promotedto improve healthy practicesandtogeneratedemandfor service uptake. Government of India supports inimplementationof Reproductive,Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH + N) strategy under National Health Mission (NHM) based on the Annual Program Implementation Plan (APIP) submitted by respectiveState/ UT.The details of interventionstoimprove infant survival allacross the countryare as below:  Facility Based Newborn Care: Special New-born Care Units (SNCUs) are established at District Hospital and Medical College level, Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs) are established at First Referral Units (FRUs)/ Community Health Centres (CHCs) for care of sick andsmall babies.  Community Based care of Newborn and Young Children: Under Home Based New-born Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care of Young Children (HBYC) program, home visits are performedbyASHAs toimprove child-rearing practicesandtoidentifysick newborn andyoungchildreninthe community.  Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK): Sick infant up to one year of age is entitled to free treatment in public health institutions along with the provision of free transport, diagnostics, medicines,bloodandconsumables.  Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize PneumoniaSuccessfully (SAANS) initiative implemented since 2019 for reduction of childhood morbidity and mortality due to Pneumonia.  STOP Diarrhoea campaign is implemented for promoting use of ORS and Zinc and for reducingmorbidityandmortalityduetochildhooddiarrhoea.  Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK): Children from 0 to 18 years of age are screenedfor 32healthconditions(i.e. Diseases,Deficiencies,DefectsandDevelopmental delay) under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) to improve child survival. District EarlyIntervention Centres(DEICs) at district health facilitylevel are established forconfirmationandmanagementofchildrenscreenedunderRBSK. *****