Government Initiatives in the Healthcare Sector

Although health is a state subject, the Central Government also contributes to the delivery of health services through various schemes at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

1. The Indian government aims to increase healthcare expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP by 2025.
2. For the 2020-21 fiscal year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare received a budget allocation of over Rs 65,000 crores.
3. The National Health Mission received a budget allocation of around Rs 34,000 crores in the 2020-21 budget.
4. The National Nutrition Mission aims to reduce undernutrition and problems of stunting by 2%.
5. The Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is the largest government-funded healthcare program.
6. In the 2020-21 budget, PMJAY was allocated over Rs 6400 crores.
7. As of November 2019, over 63 lakh people have availed of free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat – PMJAY.
8. In the 2020-21 budget, the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakhsa Yojana (PMSSY) received an allocation of Rs 3,000 crores.

Ayushman Bharat Program

1. This is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at helping underprivileged families. It is estimated to cover around 50 crore beneficiaries.
2. It offers coverage of up to Rs 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
3. The Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-NHPMC) will be established at the apex level, chaired by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
4. The benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered by the scheme will be allowed to receive cashless benefits from any public/private hospital nationwide.

To read more about Ayushman Bharat, visit here

The information shared above will be useful for candidates preparing for UPSC 2023 .