'Government aims to deliver 10 lakh Ayushman Bharat cards everyday'

New Delhi: The government aims to deliver 10 lakh Ayushman Bharat cards every day under its flagship health insurance scheme AB PM-JAY, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Sunday while highlighting that 3.95 crore admissions in hospitals amounting to Rs 45,294 crore have been done so far under it.

Over 19 crore people have been provided Ayushman Bharat cards so far under the scheme spanning its coverage in 33 states and Union Territories, he said.

The minister said this after inaugurating the "Arogya Manthan 2022" to celebrate four years of the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and one year of the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

More than 24 crore ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) numbers have been generated under the ABDM, Mandaviya said.

"This reflects an important milestone in the digitisation of health records in the country," he said.

"Earlier 1-1.5 lakh Ayushman cards were made daily, now the number is 4-5 lakh. The target is to make 10 lakh cards every day," he said.

He said under the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, about Rs 100 crore will be spent in every district to strengthen the health infrastructure in the country.

He said the government's focus is to make health services reach a person at the end of the delivery chain, enabled by technology.

Mandaviya said the PM-JAY has been successful in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor in terms of accessibility of healthcare services in the country.

"Stressed on making healthcare more affordable and accessible while addressing the august gathering. Also, called for taking AB PM Jan Arogya Yojana & Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission schemes to greater heights by working together in cooperation with States & private players," the minister said in a tweet.

Over 28,300 hospitals, of which 46 per cent are private, have been empanelled so far under the scheme. Of the total 3.8 crore hospital admissions under the scheme, 46 per cent were in government-run hospitals.

Fifty-two per cent of the total admissions were male. While 27 per cent of the total patients admitted to hospitals were between 45 and 59 years old, 24 per cent were in the age group of 3-44 years, as per the official data.

Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said the interplay between information technology and healthcare could achieve the vision of the prime minister of making health services accessible to all in the country.