Dr Bhushan was in Jaipur to attend annual function 'Pradanya 2018' of a health sector management university.
Access to healthcare in India is marred by huge out-of-pocket expenses that pushes nearly 7 per cent of the households across the country into poverty every year. The blow is severe when the affected person is the sole earning member in the family, said a top central health official on Sunday.
"About 70 per cent of India's population resides in rural areas but the majority of tertiary healthcare services, which are the costliest, in terms of out-of-pocket expenses, are in urban areas. Poor people need more expensive health services than the top 40 per cent income-bracket of society," said Dr Indu Bhushan, chief executive officer of Ayushman Bharat.
Dr Bhushan was in Jaipur to attend annual function 'Pradanya 2018' of a health sector management university. He added, "Some states have been running very successful public healthcare programmes of their own. Our aim is to amalgamate all these services into one but not force this model upon anyone and we are open to feedback."
The ambitious social welfare scheme — Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or better known as Ayushman Bharat — has benefited over 3 lakh people since its launch in September, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley last week.
The scheme is aimed at reducing ballooning expenditure for hospitalisation. It is also an attempt to provide a cushion to the masses against the financial risk arising out of serious health issues.
Health experts, including representatives from government, private, social and development sectors, healthcare providers and other stakeholders discussed inclusive health and equitable access in light of the mega healthcare programme.
"While Ayushman Bharat identifies 59 lakh beneficiaries in Rajasthan, we already serve 90 lakh beneficiaries. The Ayushman Bharat is a great scheme in concept but, as a responsible agent of change in Rajasthan, we have faced real issues in implementation including limitations in reaching out to the correct beneficiary and insurance fraud perpetrated by both the receiver and the provider of services," said Naveen Jain, mission director of National Health Mission.
59 LAKH BENEFICIARIES
- While the Ayushman Bharat identifies 59 lakh beneficiaries in Rajasthan, we already serve 90 lakh beneficiaries.
- “Ayushman Bharat is a great scheme in concept, but as a responsible agent of change in Rajasthan, we have faced real issues in implementation including limitations in reaching out to the correct beneficiary and insurance fraud perpetrated by both the receiver and the provider of services,” said Naveen Jain.
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