Ayushman Bharat and Universal Health Coverage:
The National Health Authority’s (NHA) Annual Report 2024–25 has revealed that under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) while government hospitals make up the majority of empanelled institutions, most beneficiaries are actually availing treatment in private hospitals, often at higher costs.
Key Findings Regarding the AB-PMJAY: hj
- Of the 31,005 hospitals empanelled under AB-PMJAY, only 45% are private, yet they account for 52% of the 9.19 crore hospitalisations and receive 66% of the total ₹1.29 lakh crore treatment cost.
- Since 2018, 14% of treatments under AB-PMJAY have been for haemodialysis, followed by fever (4%), gastroenteritis (3%), and animal bites (3%).
- In 2024‑25, the top specialties were General Medicine, Ophthalmology, and General Surgery.
- A key feature of Ayushman Bharat is portability, enabling treatment across states.
- Top in-migration destinations are Chandigarh (19%), Uttar Pradesh (13%), and Gujarat (11%), while states with highest out-migration are Uttar Pradesh (24%), Madhya Pradesh (17%), and Bihar (16%).
- The government’s digital health ecosystem is progressing fast: 6 in 10 people have an ABHA number, 50 crore health records are linked, 38% of health facilities and 26% of health personnel are registered on the system.
- ABHA number is a 14-digit ID that creates a cloud-based account for securely storing digital health records.
