**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to Unstarred Question No. +1037 in the Lok Sabha, dated December 5th, 2025, regarding knee replacement surgeries for senior citizens. The Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare addresses concerns about the affordability and accessibility of knee replacement surgeries, particularly for economically weaker sections, and outlines government initiatives to expand access to these procedures. The response includes information as of November 26th, 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Prevalence of Knee Joint Pain:** Knee joint pain, primarily Osteoarthritis, is a common age-related degenerative disease among senior citizens.
* **Availability of Knee Joint Replacement:** Knee Joint Replacement facility is already available in most government hospitals.
* **Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY):**
* Provides cashless health coverage up to Rs. 5 lakh per year for eligible families for secondary and tertiary care, including knee replacement procedures.
* Covers procedures in empanelled public and private hospitals.
* Expanded to cover 6 crore senior citizens of age 70 years and above belonging to 4.5 crore families irrespective of their socio-economic status, under AB-PMJAY with Vay Vandana Card.
* The national master of Health Benefit Packages under AB-PMJAY covers 1961 procedures across 27 specialities, including Total Knee Replacement (TKR).
* **Total Knee Replacement (TKR):**
* Provided as a primary procedure for first-time knee replacement and as a revision procedure for repeat or corrective surgery.
* As of November 26th, 2025, 1.59 lakh hospital admissions of senior citizens aged 60 years and above, amounting to Rs.1428.93 crore have been authorized for TKR under the scheme.
**Impact Analysis**
**Senior Citizens:**
* **Impact:** Senior citizens suffering from knee joint pain have access to affordable knee replacement surgeries through government initiatives like AB-PMJAY.
* **Action Required:** Eligible senior citizens should avail the AB-PMJAY scheme to access cashless treatment, including knee replacement, at empanelled hospitals and check their eligibility for Vay Vandana Card.
**Economically Weaker Sections:**
* **Impact:** This group gains improved access to necessary knee surgeries, reducing the financial burden associated with private healthcare.
* **Action Required:** Economically weaker sections should explore eligibility for AB-PMJAY to leverage the cashless coverage for knee replacement procedures.
Key Entities Referenced
Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY): A health scheme providing cashless health coverage for eligible families, including coverage for procedures like knee replacement in empanelled hospitals.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The ministry responsible for answering the Lok Sabha question related to knee replacement surgeries for senior citizens.
GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO.+1037
TOBE ANSWERED ON 5TH DECEMBER, 2025
KNEE REPLACEMENTSURGERIES FORSENIOR CITIZENS
+1037 SHRIBAJRANG MANOHAR SONWANE:
Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased tostate:
(a) whether it is a fact that approximately sixty percent of senior citizens across the country
are suffering from knee joint pain and a large number of them require knee replacement surgery
and currently this facility is available primarily in private hospitals where the cost of treatment
ranges from approximately 1.5 lakh to 3 lakh, making it extremely difficult for patients from
economicallyweaker sections toafford;
(b) if so, the detailsthereof;
(c) whether the Government isaware of the problem that poor and needy patients are unable
toaccessnecessary surgery due toexpensive treatment,if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Government is planning to introduce or expand the knee replacement
surgeriesin Government hospitals across the country; and
(e) if so, the detailsof the steps taken bythe Government inthisregard?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND
FAMILYWELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV)
(a) to (e) : Knee joint pain is an age-related degenerative disease namely Osteoarthritis which is
treated conservatively with exercise and medicines. Some of the patients require knee joint
replacement in advanced stage of osteoarthritis. Knee Joint Replacement facility is already
availableinmost of the governmenthospitals.
Under the Ayushman Bharat –PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), eligible
families receivecashless health coverage upto Rs.5 lakhper yearfor secondary andtertiary care,
includingproceduressuch asknee replacement, through empanelledpublic andprivate hospitals.
The scheme has been expanded to cover 6 crore senior citizens of age 70 years and above
belonging to 4.5 crore families irrespective of their socio-economic status, under AB-PMJAY
with VayVandanaCard.
The latest national master of the Health Benefit Packages, under AB-PMJAY, covers
1961 procedures across 27 specialties, including Total Knee Replacement (TKR). Under theOrthopedics specialty, TKR is provided both as a primary procedure for first-time knee
replacement and as a revision procedure for cases requiring repeat or corrective surgery. As per
the data available on the NHA IT System, 1.59 lakh hospital admissions of senior citizens aged
60 years and above, amounting to Rs.1428.93 crore have been authorized for TKR under the
scheme,ason26thNovember, 2025.
***