 "300 mn Ayushman Cards created under AB-PMJAY since 2018: Health ministry")
Over 300 million Ayushman Cards have been created under the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) since its launch five years ago, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states with the highest number of Ayushman cards at 48.3 million cards. It was followed by Madhya Pradesh with 37.8 million cards and Maharashtra with 23.9 million cards. Eleven states have more than 10 million Ayushman cardholders.
The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 23, 2018. It provides assurance of Rs 5 lakh per year per family, ensuring that quality healthcare is made accessible to low-income earners in the country.
Female beneficiaries form 49 per cent of all beneficiaries, accounting for 146 million Ayushman cards. Data suggests that 48 per cent of all treatment provided under the scheme has been availed by female beneficiaries.
According to data provided by the government, more than 167 million Ayushman cards have been created during the last two financial years. “As of date, during 2023-24, more than 75 million Ayushman cards have been created, implying that approximately 181 Ayushman cards are created every minute,” a ministry communication stated.
The National Health Authority (NHA), the body responsible for implementing AB-PMJAY, describes the scheme’s primary objectives to be ensuring comprehensive coverage for catastrophic illnesses, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure, and improving access to hospitalisation care.
According to data released by the ministry, more than 62 million hospital admissions have been authorised at a cost of Rs 74,157 crore since the scheme’s launch in 2018. The ministry claims that more than Rs 1.25 lakh crore were saved in terms of out-of-pocket expenditure due to AB-PMJAY.
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“If the beneficiary would have availed the same treatment outside the ambit of AB-PMJAY, the total cost of the treatment would have been twice the current rates under the scheme,” the statement said.
Top 10 states in terms of Ayushman Card creation
Top 10 states in terms of Ayushman Card creation
| State | No. of Ayushman Cards created |
| Uttar Pradesh | 48 million |
| Madhya Pradesh | 38 million |
| Maharashtra | 34 million |
| Gujarat | 33 million |
| Chhattisgarh | 21 million |
| Assam | 16 million |
| Rajasthan | 16 million |
| Karnataka | 15 million |
| Andhra Pradesh | 15 million |
| Jharkhand | 12 million |
Source: Ministry of Health and family Welfare, National Health Authority
General medicine is the most consulted specialty under the scheme, with over 11 million patients under the AB-PMJAY, the data said. It is followed by infectious diseases (4.31 million consultations), general surgery (3.07 million consultations), and medical oncology (2.50 million consultations).
The top five specialties with respect to consultations amount to a combined total of Rs 18,483.35 crore paid out of the public exchequer since the scheme’s launch. Currently, the scheme provides 919 Health Benefit Packages (HBPs), covering 1,670 procedures under 26 specialties.
General surgery has the highest number of HBPs with 105 packages, whereas medical oncology covers the most procedures at 264.
The NHA data also suggests that hemodialysis is the most frequently performed procedure to date in hospitals empanelled under the scheme, with more than 6 million cases amounting to Rs 2,521.59 crore.