Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya today inaugurated the two days long Arogya Manthan 2022 programme in the presence of Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & IT Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr. Vinod Paul, Uttarakhand State Health Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat and CEO National Health Authority Dr. R S Sharma. Arogya Manthan marks the completion of 4 years of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and 1 year of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
Highlighting the PMJAY beneficiaries as the most important stakeholder in the largest global public health insurance scheme, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya stated that over 19 crore Ayushman Cards have been made in the country spanning its coverage in 33 States/UTs, and more than 24 crore ABHA numbers have also been generated. This reflects an important milestone in the digitization of health records in the country”. He further informed that the current rate of making 4.5 lakh cards per day will be increased to making 10 lakh Ayushman Cards everyday.
He said the Government’s focus is to make health services reach the person at the end of the delivery chain, enabled by technology. Dr. Mandaviya stated that PM-JAY has been successful in bridging the gap between rich and poor in terms of accessibility of healthcare services in the country.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that with the interplay of Information Technology and Health, the vision of Honourable Prime Minister of making healthcare accessible in the country can be achieved. He added that every village in the country will be connected through high speed optical fibre in the next few years which will ensure connectivity and continuous health access to all. Shri Vaishnaw also highlighted that the Government is making adequate legal framework towards safeguarding the data of the health beneficiaries.
Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar stated that the country is not only pioneering the adoption of technology in health services but also ensuring that it is implemented at the grass root level. She added that the Government is working holistically to ensure the best of healthcare services to its citizens. Dr. Pawar lauded the completion of 4 years of PM-JAY and 1 year of ABDM and said that it marks an important milestone in the direction of Universal Health Coverage. She said that ABDM will have multi-fold impact in digitizing the health infrastructure in the country.
NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr. V K Paul underlined the importance and need for strong healthcare systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
CEO, NHA Dr. R S Sharma congratulated all the stakeholders at the centre and state level for being active participants in the journey towards making healthcare accessible and affordable for all. He highlighted the importance of accessibility, quality and financial protection in order to achieve the goal of Universal Health Coverage.
The Union Health Minister launched several new initiatives including Health Claims Exchange (HCX), National e-Rupi Portal and Roadmap for Digitization. The digital versions of Annual Report for NHA, Coffee Table Book and Best Practices Booklet were also unveiled. The publications can be viewed at pmjay.gov.in.
Dr. Mandaviya inaugurated the “Digital Health Expo” that saw enthusiastic participation from digital health innovators like NIC (showcasing eHospital and Aarogya Setu), C-DAC, Karnataka Government, Medical Devices start-ups from Vizag, AWS India, Google, Microsoft, Tata Medical and Diagnostics, Reliance Digital Health, Hitachi MGRM, Paytm, Bajaj Finserv Health among others from government as well as private sector.
The day 1 of Arogya Manthan saw informative sessions with representatives from international organizations/ministries like Hong Kong Hospital Authority, Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health, World Bank, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Global Health Payment LLC, USA, Health Ministry Mexico, Ministry of Health, Thailand and Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, Australia along with various thought leaders of healthcare and technology in India. The sessions brought about exciting discussions around roadmap for universal health coverage, promoting inter-operability in digital health, enhancing the efficiency of PMJAY, increasing the adoption of digital health, health technology assessment for evidence based PMJAY decisions and privacy and data security at the core for digital health in India.