Before expanding, need to consolidate: Ayushman Bharat CEO Indu Bhushan

Ayushman Bharat scheme provides an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to 100 million 'poor and vulnerable' families

The ambitious Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was first launched in September, 2018 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The scheme provided an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to 100 million ‘poor and vulnerable’ families identified by the socio-economic caste census of 2011. By December 2, 2019, PMJAY had covered over 6.8 million hospitalisations worth Rs 7,160 crore and has issued over 67 million e-cards to beneficiaries. Indu Bhushan, CEO, AB-PMJAY and the National Health Authority (NHA), tells Swagata Yadavar what has worked and what hasn’t. Edited Excerpts:

How has the first year of PMJAY been? What has been