Government to empanel 20,000 hospitals in 112 districts under PMJAY
Government plans to empanel 20, 000 hospitals in 112 aspirational districts under Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) for which a budget of Rs. 69, 000 crore has been announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget Speech 2020.
Besides this, other announcements to boost healthcare sector also include setting up of medical university at district hospital level to train doctors to tide over the shortage of physicians at primary healthcare and secondary healthcare level in the country.
To further maternal and child healthcare, an amount of Rs. 35, 000 crore has also been allocated for the nutrition scheme.
In order to expand outreach of healthcare one lakh gram panchayats in the country will be provided with optical fibre technology for accessible healthcare and telemedicine.
It has also been announced that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be deployed in Ayushman Bharat PMJAY to target chronic illnesses besides strengthening wellness centres and expansion of Mission Indradhanush with renewed focus on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
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Government is also keen to eliminate TB by 2025, strengthen medical device industry and MSME sector through technology upgradation schemes. This includes budget allocation of Rs. 3000 crore for skill India.
The budget announcement also includes coming out with a new medical equipment scheme, strengthening of digital platforms for start-ups in IPR and genetic mapping in healthcare.
Plans are also to eliminate foot and mouth disease in sheep and goat as part of strengthening animal husbandry care.
The Ayushman Bharat Yojana – National Health Protection Scheme, which has now been renamed as PMJAY plans to make secondary and tertiary healthcare completely cashless. The PMJAY beneficiaries get an e-card that can be used to avail services at an empaneled hospital, public or private, anywhere in the country.
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The coverage includes 3 days of pre-hospitalisation and 15 days of post-hospitalisation expenses.
Moreover, around 1,400 procedures with all related costs like OT expenses are taken care of. PMJAY and the e-card provide a coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family, per year, thus helping the economically disadvantaged obtain easy access to healthcare services.
