Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)

Progressing Towards Universal Health Coverage: Ayushman Bharat

1. AB PM-JAY: Financial Protection

• AB PM-JAY provides cashless hospitalisation cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for economically vulnerable households. As of September 2026, over 48.51 crore people—around 33% of India’s population—held Ayushman cards.
• The scheme has financed around 13.25 crore hospital admissions worth ₹2.03 lakh crore through more than 38,000 empanelled public and private hospitals. It covers 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties, helping protect families from catastrophic healthcare expenditure and medical debt.
• The scheme has also expanded beyond its original beneficiary base.
• In 2024, it was extended to around 37 lakh families of ASHAs, Anganwadi Workers and Helpers.
• In September 2024, all citizens aged 70 years and above were brought under the scheme, covering nearly 6 crore senior citizens.
• By September 2026, more than 1.36 crore Ayushman Vay Vandana cards had been issued.
• Beneficiaries are primarily identified through SECC 2011 deprivation and occupational criteria, covering vulnerable rural households, informal urban workers and additional groups
  • such as construction workers, sanitation workers, waste pickers, PVTGs and eligible children under PM CARES.

2. Ayushman Arogya Mandirs: Strengthening Primary Healthcare

• Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) form the primary-care pillar of Ayushman Bharat.
• They upgrade existing health centres and provide comprehensive community-level healthcare.
• Their services extend beyond maternal and child health to include screening and management of diseases, mental health, oral, eye and ENT care, emergency and trauma care, essential medicines and diagnostics.
• AYUSH services are also being integrated through AYUSH AAMs.
• AAMs also facilitate telemedicine through e-Sanjeevani, connecting patients with specialists at higher-level facilities.
• More than 50 crore teleconsultations have been conducted, while AAMs have recorded over 540 crore cumulative footfalls.

3. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

• The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), launched in 2021, provides the digital backbone for an integrated health system.
• Its Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) gives individuals a unique digital health identity through which health records can be securely linked and accessed across participating healthcare providers.
• As of September 2026, more than 97.61 crore ABHA IDs were operational, with over 119.95 crore health records linked.
• The ecosystem also includes a Healthcare Professionals Registry, Health Facility Registry and Unified Health Interface, enabling citizens to discover healthcare services, consult doctors and manage health information digitally.

4. PM-ABHIM: Strengthening Health Infrastructure

The PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was launched in October 2021 with an outlay of ₹64,180 crore for 2021–26. It focuses on strengthening public health infrastructure, disease surveillance and health research.

Major components include:

• 23,224 rural health and wellness centres
• 13,736 urban health and wellness centres
• 3,389 block public health units
• 744 integrated public health laboratories
• 631 critical-care hospital blocks in districts with populations above five lakh.

5. Funding and Health Expenditure

• AB PM-JAY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, with Centre-State funding generally at 60:40.
• The ratio is 90:10 for specified North-Eastern and Himalayan states and Jammu & Kashmir, while the Centre provides 100% funding for Union Territories without legislatures.
• The 2026–27 Union Budget allocation is ₹9,500 crore.
• The expansion of publicly funded healthcare is intended to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, particularly for vulnerable households.

Conclusion

• Ayushman Bharat adopts a four-pillar approach to UHC:

AB PM-JAY → hospitalisation and financial protection
AAMs → accessible primary healthcare
ABDM → integrated digital health ecosystem
PM-ABHIM → resilient health infrastructure

• Together, these initiatives seek to create a continuum of care—from prevention and primary healthcare to hospital treatment, digital health services and critical-care preparedness
• These reduces financial barriers and improving accessibility and quality of healthcare across India.

Reference

PIB