The district hospital in Poonch, Jammu & Kashmir, is now offering free healthcare services to patients under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), a flagship health scheme by the central government.
Dr. Nusrat Bhatti, the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, shared the impact of the scheme with ANI, saying, “The District Hospital Poonch is providing excellent facilities and free services under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. We are offering free dialysis services and free medicines to all patients. Our CT scan services are available 24/7, ensuring that patients receive timely and necessary care without any cost.”
As of November 30, 2024, nearly 36 crore beneficiaries have been verified under AB-PMJAY. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, highlighted that the scheme has authorized 8.39 crore hospital admissions worth over Rs 1.16 lakh crore, resulting in substantial savings for patients, particularly in terms of out-of-pocket expenses for hospitalization.
AB-PMJAY provides health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization, benefiting approximately 55 crore individuals from economically vulnerable sections of the population. Many states and Union Territories have integrated their own health insurance schemes with AB-PMJAY, expanding the scheme’s reach to over 18 crore families.
In March 2024, the government also included 37 lakh families of ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and helpers under the scheme. On October 29, 2024, AB-PMJAY was extended to senior citizens aged 70 and above, providing them with free treatment benefits of up to Rs 5 lakh annually, regardless of their socio-economic status. This expansion is expected to benefit 4.5 crore families, or approximately 6 crore senior citizens across India.
