India Pharma Outlook Team | Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Since its launch in September 2018, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) has provided free hospitalization benefits worth approximately Rs 82,000 crore to over 65 million beneficiaries across India. The scheme offers free health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5,00,000 annually to 107 million poor households, covering the bottom 40% of the country's population.
The central government launched PM-JAY to alleviate the suffering of those affected by rising healthcare costs. It is estimated that approximately 62% of healthcare costs are borne out of pocket, pushing millions of Indians into poverty each year.
The scheme provides access to nearly 2,000 procedures for cashless treatment, including all costs related to treatment, medicines, supplies, diagnostic services, physician's fees, room charges, surgeon charges, and charges for OT & ICU facilities, among others. General medicine, infectious diseases, general surgery, medical oncology, ophthalmology, and orthopedics are among beneficiaries' most commonly availed specialty care treatments.
Beneficiaries have availed themselves of various procedures, including hemodialysis, COVID-19 screening, multiple packages, and acute febrile illness.