Srinagar, July 16: With strong enrolment and service delivery, Jammu and Kashmir has positioned itself among the top performers in the country under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
Dr Waseem Akram, Operations Manager at the State Health Agency, said 95 per cent of families in the Union Territory now have at least one member enrolled under the scheme.
“From 2018 till date, 95 per cent of families in J&K have at least one member who has a golden card. Around 17 lakh treatments had been carried out under the AB-PMJAY,” Dr Waseem said during a media workshop titled ‘Varta’ organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
AB-PMJAY offers eligible families an annual coverage of Rs. 5 lakh for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisations. The initiative has been particularly impactful in Jammu and Kashmir, where many residents previously lacked any form of health insurance, especially for private sector treatments.
Currently, 254 public and private hospitals are empanelled under the scheme. “Private sector hospitals have been boosted as a result,” Dr Waseem said.
While acknowledging the positive outcomes, Dr Waseem also pointed to irregularities that have surfaced during the scheme’s implementation. “Admittedly, frauds have occurred,” he said. Penalties have been imposed. Around 10 to 15 doctors faced suspension of private practice, and the State Health Agency imposed a penalty of Rs. 2 crore against fraudulent practices.”
To improve service delivery and accountability, the agency has introduced a tier-based classification system, grouping hospitals into three categories based on quality and compliance indicators.
Dr Waseem emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir remains one of the top-performing regions in the country in terms of Ayushman Bharat implementation. “J&K is among the best-performing states/UT when it comes to implementation of AB-PMJAY,” he said.
In 2018, the government launched Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the world’s largest health assurance programme, to protect economically vulnerable Indians from catastrophic healthcare expenditures. Targeting the bottom 40 per cent of India’s population, the scheme covers approximately 12.37 crore families, benefiting nearly 55 crore individuals.
On 29 October 2024, the government introduced Ayushman Vay Vandana, which extends the AB-PMJAY benefits to all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of their income or socio-economic status. Under the Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme, over 58 lakh senior citizens have enrolled, with more than 2.67 lakh treatments worth Rs. 496 crore already availed.