8.3 lakh Covid cases treated under Ayushman Bharat in 2 years: Govt

Approximately 8.3 lakh hospital admissions were authorised for the treatment of COVID-19 under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the last two years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

”This is with respect to transactions recorded on the NHA (National Health Authority) IT platform as well as the information shared by states, using their own IT systems,” Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply to a question in the House.

Out of these 8.3 lakh, approximately 4.7 lakh have been authorised in empanelled private hospitals under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), she said. Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country, therefore, urban-rural bifurcation is not maintained for the beneficiaries, she stated.

Public Health being a state subject, response to the COVID-19 pandemic is primarily directed by state governments, she said, adding the National Health Authority has been providing necessary support to states and UTs for ensuring free COVID-19 testing and treatment to all eligible beneficiaries under AB-PMJAY. When COVID-19 pandemic started, initially existing treatment packages were used for providing Covid-related treatment. Later, special packages were introduced, she explained.

Many state governments decided to make COVID-19 testing and treatment free for all residents. While some of them used Ayushman Bharat PMJAY ecosystem including the NHA’s IT platform, others used their own IT systems. Therefore, COVID-19 treatments have been captured in both general and COVID-19 specific packages of AB-PMJAY, Pawar said.