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General medicine is the most consulted specialty, with over 11 million patients under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY), according to data available on the National Health Authority (NHA) website.
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 six specialties in terms of consultations amount to a combined total of Rs 15,651.89 crore paid from the public exchequer since the scheme's launch.
NHA has described PMJAY’s primary objectives as ensuring comprehensive coverage for catastrophic illnesses, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure, and improving access to hospitalisation care.
Currently, PMJAY provides 919 Health Benefit Packages (HBPs), covering 1,670 procedures under 26 specialties. General Surgery has the highest number of HBPs with 105 packages, while Medical Oncology covers the most procedures at 264.
NHA data also suggests that Hemodialysis is the most frequently performed procedure to date in hospitals empanelled under PMJAY, with more than 6 million cases amounting to Rs 2,521.58 crore.
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.
So far, over 59 million hospital admissions have been authorised under the PMJAY, at a cost of Rs 74,131.79 crore to the exchequer.
