Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).On the same  speaking in details Mr.Ashwini Chaubey ,Minsiter of Health & Family Welfare.

Exclusive Interview done by Senior Journalist- Ms.Neeraj Vats, Medgate Today Magazine

What are the achievements of your Govt. during last 4 years?

Our Government, committed to the ‘philosophy of harmonious development and inclusive growth’ has made spectacular achievements in last 4 years.  The Health budget received significant increase in each financial year during the last 4 years.  The budget allocation for the current financial year FY 2018-19 stands at 52,800 crores which shows a quantum jump of 11.5% vis-à-vis the budget allocation for the FY 2017-18.  Likewise, the budget for National Health Mission in the financial year 2018-19 has been hiked by14% compared to the allocation for the preceding financial year.  Our Government brought out a holistic, integrated and visionary National Health Policy-2017 with an objective to achieve highest possible level of good health and well-being through a preventive and promotive healthcare in programmatic interventions and to achieve universal access to good quality healthcare services to all.  The Ayushman Bharat is a tangible manifestation of our holistic, integrated, and preventive and promotive healthcare philosophy enshrined in our National Health Policy-2017.

What are the major programmes on health launched by your Govt. in last 4 years?

We have launched several interconnected programmes of far reaching consequence for strengthening and expanding the reach of our healthcare services. Our Govt. launched Mission Indradhanush in Dec, 2014 with a view to achieve full immunisation coverage of atleast 90% by the year 2020.  The Mission has covered over 528 districts, vaccinating more than 3.15 crores children, fully immunising80.58 lakh children & immunising 80.63 lakh pregnant females.  To give further fillip and stimulus to the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), the Ministry of Health launched country wide notified mission ‘Intensified Mission – Indradhanush’ in 125 identified districts, 17 urban areas and 52 districts of North Eastern States.  Under Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme,face dialysis service is being given to the poor and subsidized services to other patients.  More than 2.38 lakh patients have benefited under the programme since its launch till May 2018.  Under ‘AMRUT’, 134 AMRUT Pharmacies across 22 States have sold 5200 drugs implants, surgical disposables and other consumables, benefitting 72.44 lakh patients.  At the initiative of Union Health Ministry, and as an example par excellence of cooperative federalism, all the States and UTs have notified the policy to provide drugs under Free Drugs for Dialysis Services.  The total financial support of Rs. 13918.99 crores both in cash and kind has been given to the States in the last 4 years.  In order that Tuberculosis patients do not re-lapse into TB, they are being given, for the first time, Rs. 500 per month as nutritional support under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP).  8 New AIIMS have been sanctioned to be set up in different regions of the country under Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yajna (PMSSY) viz. Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Kalyani (West Bengal), Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Bathinda (Punjab), Guwahati (Assam) and Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh).

Other major programmes have been launched by our Govt. to eliminate TB by 2020, to control leprosy by 2025. Likewise, under the AMRUT, affordable medicines and Reliable Implants being given for the patients of cancer, cardiovascular diseases at a discount of 60-90% on the prevailing market rates.

5 new vaccines were added to India’s UIP, bringing the total from 7 to 12.  These are Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine, Pneumococcal Vaccine (PCV), Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV), Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine.

What are the blue prints of Ayushman Bharat? How it becomes Modi Care?

The Ayushman Bharat, the biggest health security scheme of the world was announced in the budget of FY 2018-19.  It has two components i) Pradhan MantriRashtriyaSwasthya Suraksha Mission (PMRSSM), and ii) Pradhan MantriRashtriya Health & Wellness Centre.  PMRSSM, fully funded health protection scheme, the largest of the world, will provide health insurance to over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families covering a population of more than 50 crores per annum, free of cost without any ceiling of the number of family members.  The scheme is cashless and paperless and funded on entitlement based, i.e. a family figuring in the defined socio-economic caste database of 2011 will be entitled to claim benefit of this scheme.  So far, 26 States have voluntarily signed the MOU with the Union Health Ministry and rest are also likely to join the scheme or will have to bring equally good or better health scheme at their own cost.  Under Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) component of Ayushman Bharat, more than 1.5 lakh Sub Centres & Primary Health Centres are being transformed into Health & Wellness Centres (HWCs) which will provide Comprehensive Primary Healthcare (CPHC) Services close to the community that will include essential diagnostic facilities as well.  Interestingly, the Media has hailed this gigantic and all-encompassing health scheme as ‘Modi Care’.

 Government Initiative on Vaccine, Mother-Child programme etc.

I feel proud to say that due to various policy interventions and vigorously sustained immunization programmes, the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has gone down by 37% which is unprecedented.  Our UIP continues with greater nerve and vigour and is applauded world-wide particularly by the WHO.