Steps taken to strengthen financial assistance for critical diseases - 28th July 2026 - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - Gazette Notification PDF
Read or download the official PDF of this gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 28th July 2026. Classified under Press Release.
Executive Summary
This report outlines the government’s expanded financial assistance measures for critical disease treatment, specifically through AB PM-JAY, Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), and the Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant (HMDG). Key updates include the expansion of health coverage to 12 crore families and the inclusion of senior citizens and frontline workers as of March 2024. Patients seeking RAN assistance must now coordinate with hospital Nodal Officers for online processing via the National Health Authority portal.
Key Points / Main Content
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Expansion
Coverage Limits: Provides health coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
Beneficiary Increase: The beneficiary base was expanded from 10.74 crore families to 12 crore families in January 2023 to account for population growth.
Frontline Worker Inclusion: In March 2024, approximately 37 lakh families of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Anganwadi Workers, and Anganwadi Helpers were added to the scheme.
Senior Citizen Coverage: The scheme now includes 6 crore senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of their socio-economic status.
Health Benefit Package-2022 (HBP-2022)
Procedures: Offers cashless treatment for 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties.
Diseases Covered: Includes major non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and liver diseases.
Financial Grants and Assistance
Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN): Provides one-time financial aid up to Rs. 15 lakh for poor patients suffering from life-threatening diseases for treatment in Government super-specialty hospitals.
Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant (HMDG): Offers up to Rs. 1.25 lakh to poor patients for hospitalization costs when free medical facilities are unavailable.
Application and Processing
Digital Integration: RAN applications are primarily processed online through the National Health Authority (NHA) IT portal.
Manual Fallback: If a hospital is not onboarded to the IT portal or encounters technical issues, applications must be forwarded manually by the treating hospital to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Impact Analysis
Poor and Vulnerable FamiliesImpact
They receive increased access to secondary and tertiary care through expanded beneficiary databases (such as the National Food Security Act) and higher one-time grants for life-threatening illnesses.
Action Required
Eligible families should ensure they are identified in the updated databases and contact Nodal Officers at government hospitals to initiate RAN or HMDG applications.
Senior Citizens (70 years and above)Impact
Approximately 6 crore senior citizens are now eligible for health coverage irrespective of their socio-economic status.
Action Required
Seniors in this age bracket should seek enrollment to access the expanded AB PM-JAY benefits.
ASHA and Anganwadi Workers/HelpersImpact
37 lakh families of these frontline workers are now integrated into the AB PM-JAY scheme for healthcare coverage.
Action Required
Workers should verify their inclusion in the scheme to utilize cashless treatment for their families.
Government Hospitals and Nodal OfficersImpact
Hospitals are responsible for facilitating cashless treatment for nearly 2,000 procedures and managing the digital application process for financial grants.
Action Required
Nodal Officers must process RAN cases through the NHA IT portal or manually forward prescribed application formats to the Ministry if technical obstacles arise.
Key Entities Referenced
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY): A health insurance scheme providing Rs. 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care, covering over 12 crore families including senior citizens and frontline workers.
Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN): An umbrella scheme providing one-time financial assistance of up to Rs. 15 lakh to poor patients for treating life-threatening diseases in government super-speciality hospitals.
National Master of Health Benefit Package (HBP-2022): A policy framework that enables cashless treatment for 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties, including major non-communicable diseases.
Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant (HMDG): A grant offering financial aid of up to Rs. 1.25 lakh to poor patients for hospitalization and treatment in government hospitals where free facilities are not available.
National Health Authority (NHA): The primary agency responsible for managing the IT portal used to process online applications for health assistance schemes like RAN.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Steps taken to strengthen financial assistance
for critical diseases
Cashless treatment available for 1,961 procedures under
Health Benefit Package-2022
AB PM-JAY expanded to cover 12 crore families; senior
citizens and frontline workers also included
One-time aid up to Rs. 15 Lakh via Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi;
Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant (HMDG) offers up to Rs.
1.25 Lakh for poor patients
Health Benefit Package-2022 enables cashless treatment
across 27 specialties, including major non-communicable
diseases
Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) applications processed online
through National Health Authority portal; offline submission
also available
प्रव तथ: 28 JUL 2026 6:12PM by PIB Delhi
The Government has implemented several measures to strengthen financial assistance for the treatment of
critical diseases by expanding the coverage of health schemes and enhancing access to cashless treatment
and financial support. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) was launched
in September 2018 to provide health coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary
care hospitalization. Initially, the scheme covered 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families identified on
the basis of deprivation and occupational criteria under the Socio-Economic Caste Census, 2011, in rural
and urban areas. In January 2023, the beneficiary base was revised from 10.74 crore to 12 crore families to
account for India's decadal population growth. To further strengthen beneficiary identification and expand
coverage, alternative beneficiary databases, including the National Food Security Act database and other
State-specific beneficiary databases having similar socio-economic criteria were adopted under the
scheme.
In March 2024, approximately 37 lakh additional families of Accredited Social Health Activists,
Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers were included under the scheme. The scheme was further
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 the National Master of Health Benefit Package (HBP-2022), cashless treatment is available for
1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties, covering a wide range of secondary and tertiary care
services, including treatment for major non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular
diseases, chronic kidney disease, diabetes-related complications, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases,
neurological disorders, liver diseases etc.
Government of India provides one-time financial assistance up to Rs. 15 lakh under the Umbrella Scheme
of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) for the treatment of poor patients suffering from life-threatening
diseases related to the heart, kidney, liver, and cancer, etc., in Government hospitals/institutes with
super-speciality facilities, subject to fulfilment of the eligibility conditions prescribed under the scheme
guidelines.
Further, under the Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant (HMDG), financial assistance up to Rs. 1.25 lakh
is provided to poor patients suffering from life-threatening diseases to cover part of the expenditure on
hospitalization/treatment in Government hospitals, in cases where free medical facilities are not available,
subject to fulfilment of the eligibility conditions prescribed under the scheme guidelines. To apply for
assistance under the RAN Scheme, the Nodal Officer of RAN at the concerned Government
hospital/institute is to be contacted, who facilitates processing of the case online through the National
Health Authority IT portal. However, in case the hospital is not onboarded for online processing of cases
under RAN, or encounters technical issues while processing the case online, the patient’s duly filled
application in the prescribed format (available with the guidelines of RAN) is required to be forwarded
through the treating hospital to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for consideration. Further details
regarding RAN/HMDG schemes can be accessed at: https://www.mohfw-dohfw.gov.in/→ Offerings →
Programmes → Poor Patients Financial Support.
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, stated this in a written
reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
****
SR
HFW/Steps taken to provide financial assistance for critical diseases/28July2026/1
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2290623) आगंतुक पटल : 550
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही , Punjabi , Telugu