Expanded PMJAY for 70+ meets only 3% of target in 1st month since roll out

Although the government has not provided any timeframe to reach the 60 million target, the pace seems to have become a cause of concern in a country which is greying rapidly

In September, the Union government announced the fine print of the much-awaited Ayushman Bharat 2.0 scheme that aims to cover everyone over the age of 70 years irrespective of income level. What stood out in the announcement was 60 million—that was the Centre’s estimate of beneficiaries under the health assurance plan for the 70 plus universe. The scheme got operational in October. A month later, the number of takers is just 3 per cent of the estimated target group.          

 

According to the data with the National Health Authority (NHA), till the evening of November 28, around