Health bodies, experts laud rolling out of PMJAY-Ayushman Bharat scheme

Lauding the roll out of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)-Ayushman Bharat, health bodies and experts Sunday said it will bring the much-needed "revolutionary" change to healthcare in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday rolled out the scheme which aims to provide coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers.

Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals congratulated the prime minister on the launch of this "historic" initiative, saying, "While we all work together to ensure the success of this scheme, there are areas that need focus and fine tuning".

"Ensuring the robustness of the IT backbone, weeding out potential fraud, ensuring coverage to only identified beneficiaries and ensuring more adoption by the private sector, who are rightly worried about the pricing and reimbursements, must remain paramount moving forward.

"I believe this scheme is for the greater public good and we must all strive to ensure its success," Reddy said.

Modi while rolling out the scheme on Sunday termed it a "game-changer initiative to serve the poor".

Healthcare Federation of India (NATHEALTH) maintained that rolling out of the Centre's flagship scheme is a testimony of cohesive collaborations between all stakeholders of the Indian Healthcare sector and a much needy state today witnessed fulfilment of a national commitment.

NATHEALTH President Daljit Singh said the prime minister gifted the nation a health insurance scheme which will benefit 50 crore people across the country and also laid foundation stones for new medical colleges in Koderma and Chaibasa and construction of Tertiary Care Cancer Centre in Ranchi.

"These initiatives will transform the healthcare infrastructure of Jharkhand. The roll out of the scheme was slated to be on September 25 as per August 15 announcement, however, implementing it two days prior to the set schedule and selection of state to kick it off manifest the confidence of the government and its agencies in the readiness of the scheme.

"Effective implementation certainly needs meticulous planning and efficient management on the part of the government; NATHEALTH is keen to partner with the government to drive this," said Singh.

According to NATHEALTH, patient safety and appropriateness or quality of care should be the core principles around which the prime minister's Jan AarogyaYojna's processes.

People and technology have to be created in order to drive genuine improvements in care delivery and eventually for improved health outcomes for the beneficiaries...improved health of the Nation, the body said.

"Jharkhand and several other states in the country desperately need adequate healthcare infrastructure and insurance coverage. It is very encouraging to note that Jharkhand's 85 per cent population will be covered under the PMJAY.

"Private providers and other stakeholders such as health insurers responded very positively to the scheme and the success should be ensured in terms of quality and affordability," said Anjan Bose, Secretary General, NATHEALTH.

Modi on Sunday said the health scheme would come into effect from today (Sunday).

"PMJAY-Ayushman Bharat is the biggest government-sponsored healthcare scheme in the world. The number of beneficiaries is almost equal to the population of Canada, Mexico and the US taken together," Modi said.

Anuj Gulati, MD and CEO, Religare Health Insurance said, "'Ayushman Bharat' will bring in the much needed "revolutionary" change to healthcare in India."