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Over 59 million hospital admissions have been undertaken at a cost of more than Rs 74,000 crore 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 National Health Authority (NHA).
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.
More than 59 million hospital admissions have been authorised at a cost of Rs 74,131.79 crore since the scheme was first launched in Ranchi, the NHA said on its website.
General medicine is the most consulted specialty at 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), it said.
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The top six specialties with respect to consultations amount to a combined total of Rs 15,651.89 crore paid out of public exchequer since the scheme’s launch.
The NHA has described the scheme’s primary objectives as ensuring comprehensive coverage for catastrophic illnesses, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure and improving access to hospitalisation care.
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 enlisted under the scheme, with more than 6 million cases amounting to Rs 2,521.58 crores.
It is followed by Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) in its two variations - with and without the inclusion of a single stent. Both procedures have had a combined cost of Rs 2,627.48 crore.
