AYUSHMAN BHARAT YOJANA । AYUSHMAN BHARAT YOJANA ESSAY । ayushman bharat yojana paragraph

 AYUSHMAN BHARAT YOJANA 

Introduction :- Ayushman Bharat Yojana is a significant healthcare scheme launched by the Prime Minister of India on 23rd September 2018. The main objective of the scheme is to provide cashless hospitalization to around 50 crores poor Indians under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). PM-JAY is one of the two components of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the other being Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs).

Launch of Ayushman Bharat Yojana :- The Ayushman Bharat Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 23rd September 2018 at Ranchi in Jharkhand state. The event had a large public gathering and the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for two medical colleges – one at Chaibasa and another at Koderma in Jharkhand state. Speaking to the public on the occasion, the Prime Minister told about the essential facts of the scheme and that it will directly benefit around 50 crores poor Indians.

The Background of Ayushman Bharat Yojana :- The central government of India, from time to time, publishes the National Health Policy to dictate and guide the future implementation of health programs. Ayushman Bharat Yojana was incorporated in the 2017 National Health Policy. In the past, there had been a number of efforts by the central as well as the state governments to implement government-funded health insurance schemes under the aegis of National Health Protection Schemes (NHPS). Some of these schemes were – Rashtriya Swashtya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS), Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), etc. However, these schemes worked independently and none of them were linked to primary health care, which tends the poor. With the objective of removing the shortcomings of pre-existing health insurance schemes, the government of India launched the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Two Components of Ayushman Bharat Yojana :- 

Health and Wellness Centres (HWC) :- 

India had a preexisting network of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) that function to provide basic healthcare needs of the communities. These Primary Health Centres (PHCs) were upgraded to Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), with the objective of preventing non-communicable diseases and keeping a check on the number of hospitalization.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) :- 

This is the second important component of Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The main objective of PM-JAY is to meet the hospitalization expenses of the eligible families in such a way so that they don’t have to go through any financial crisis, whatsoever. PM-JAY works in close coordination with state governments in the identification of the beneficiaries and providing them cashless hospitalization. Many preexisting schemes have been merged into the PM-JAY Yojana. The scheme provides a cover of Rs 5 Lakh to the beneficiaries covering all operational, diagnostic and medicinal costs. However, the amount may differ from state to state depending on the contribution made by the respective state governments.

Conclusion :- Ayushman Bharat Yojana is an essential healthcare scheme that affects the life of 40% of India’s financially poor population. The eligibility criterion for the scheme is only poor financial condition and it doesn’t discriminate based on caste, creed, religion, or other demarcations. It also shows the commitment of India towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030.