Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan on September 23, 2019, said the Government of India is committed to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and through Ayushman Bharat (Long Live India) Scheme we are well on our way to achieve it by reducing inequalities in access to inpatient care, reducing the incidence of catastrophic health expenditures, and improving access and quality of health services in the public and private sectors.
” I am happy to announce that in a short period of time, under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, more than 21,000 Health & Wellness Centres have become operational and in the first year since its launch, about 4.7 million (47 lakh) people availed of treatments under its Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) pillar which provides health assurance cover to the most needy people of the country,” DR Vardhan stated during an interaction with the media at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi to mark the successful completion of one year of the Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY scheme, according to a PIB release.
Dr Vardhan further stated that in designing and implementing this scheme, India has drawn from the experience of other middle-income countries that have undertaken major health financing reforms towards achieving universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.8 related to UHC. Hr stated that it is probably the biggest public healthcare initiative in the world.
He informed the foreign correspondents that Ayushman Bharat PMJAY will create the world’s best health assurance programme on an efficient and technologically robust eco-system and ensure financial protection against catastrophic health expenditure and access to affordable and quality healthcare for all.