Govt Issues 1.4 Million Ayushman Cards to Citizens Aged 70+

The government has made significant progress in ensuring the health and welfare of senior citizens through the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). As of November 25, 2024, approximately 14 lakh Ayushmann Vay Vandana cards have been issued to senior citizens aged 70 and above under the scheme. This initiative is part of the government’s broader efforts to provide comprehensive healthcare coverage to vulnerable populations.

Key Points

Ayushman Vay Vandana Cards

• 1.4 million cards have been created for senior citizens aged 70 and above by November 25, 2024, under the AB-PMJAY scheme.

Target Beneficiaries

• The government estimates that around 4.5 crore families with beneficiaries aged 70 years and above are covered, amounting to about 6 crore individuals.

Total Ayushman Cards

• As of October 31, 2024, a total of 35.89 crore Ayushman cards were created since the scheme’s launch in 2018.

Grievance Redressal

• A three-tier grievance redressal system has been set up to address beneficiaries’ issues, with 98% of the 5,565 grievances filed on the Centralised Grievance Redressal Management System (CGRMS) portal being resolved.

Healthcare Coverage

• The scheme offers cashless healthcare services for over 1,900 procedures across 27 medical specialties, including critical treatments such as dialysis, hip/knee replacements, and pacemaker implants.

Customization

• States have the flexibility to customize health benefit packages to suit local needs.

Expenditure

• The total expenditure for the scheme is estimated at Rs 3,437 crore, with Rs 2,165 crore likely to be incurred during the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Empanelled Hospitals

• A total of 29,870 hospitals, including 13,173 private facilities, are empanelled under the scheme.

States Not Implementing the Scheme

• Odisha, West Bengal, and Delhi have not implemented AB-PMJAY, but efforts are underway to involve these states to ensure their eligible citizens benefit from the scheme.

Model Code of Conduct

• Enrolment of eligible senior citizens had been paused during bypoll periods in certain states but has resumed now that the Model Code of Conduct has been lifted.