Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials on achieving targeted goals such as expanding coverage under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases. NCDs) as part of the government’s 100-day agenda.
The Minister of Health took stock of the functioning of the ministry and instructed officials to emphasize the quality of health facilities and healthcare systems.
Nadda highlighted the expansion of healthcare coverage under AB-PMJAY, which was also promised in the manifesto of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“We will extend the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to senior citizens (above 70 years) and provide them with access to free and quality healthcare. We will expand Garima Grahas’ network to meet the needs of transgender people. We will issue identity cards to ensure their national recognition. Moreover, all eligible transgenders will be covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana,” the party said in its manifesto.
According to data available on the National Health Authority (NHA) dashboard, the scheme has so far covered over 345 million citizens who received free health insurance of Rs 5 lakh for hospital admission.
The move to expand health insurance coverage comes at a time when several hospitals have complained of delays in reimbursement related to procedures performed under the scheme.
The Health Ministry had formed a 16-member committee in March this year to examine the implementation of the scheme and monitor the progress in beneficiary identification, hospitalization and mode of implementation.
According to sources, the ministry’s 100-day agenda includes the launch of the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) to ensure faster processing of health insurance claims, a special drive against tobacco use among youth, and the deployment of the U-WIN portal to keep an electronic register of all vaccinations.
While the launch of NHCX has been in the works for some time, U-Win is currently running in a pilot mode in two districts of each state and union territory.
The Minister also expressed concern over the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases and the importance of creating awareness about healthy diet and lifestyle through targeted youth tobacco control campaigns.
He asked officials to use technology in programs such as immunization and health emergency management.
First print: June 14, 2024 | 8:18 PM IST