Pleased with NDHM pilot in six UTs, Health Minister indicates will soon be ready for national roll-out

Also reviewed the implementation of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY which completed two years on September 23 this year

On a recent visit to the National Health Authority (NHA) to conduct a high-level review of the implementation of the flagship health protection mission, Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(AB PM-JAY) and National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare indicated that the latter would soon be ready for anational roll out.

The Minister was given a full demo of the key systems of NDHM – HealthID, DigiDoctor, Health Facility Registry, eHospital, Patient Health Records and Consent Manager- by Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO, National Health Authority (NHA) in the presence of senior officers of NHA.

Sharing his observations, Dr. Vardhan said that post his review of NDHM, he is “happy to note that in just a little over three months, the Mission has made notable progress in its pilot in six Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry, and will soon be ready for a national roll-out.”

Mindful of concerns on the health data privacy front, he stressed, “From both the citizen and medical practitioner point of view, the mission is privacy and security-led and will enable consent-based sharing of health information in the form of test reports, scans, prescriptions and diagnosis reports between patients and treating medicos thereby making follow-up care seamless, secure and timely.”

He added, “One of the most remarkable aspects of NDHM is that it takes into account the lived realities of Indians spread across the digital divide. NDHM will empower millions of citizens without smartphones or those in remote tribal areas facing connectivity issues to still avail healthcare through its offline modules.”

The Health Minister also reviewed the implementation of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY which completed two years on September 23 this year. Appreciating the progress of the scheme, Dr. Vardhan said, “In these unprecedented times, I am pleased to know that more than 1.4 crore cashless treatments worth over Rs. 17,500 crore have been provided to the poorest citizens under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY. During the height of the pandemic, Government of India has been careful to not lose focus away from critical illnesses and ensured that all those needing such essential healthcare were provided the same. This has resulted in savings of nearly Rs. 35,000 crore to the people. We understand that this health assurance and its delivery is a huge source of support and security for millions of families reeling under the extreme stress of serious illness amidst this pandemic.”

Progress report of AB-PMJAY (as on November 26, 2020)

Currently, 32 States/UTs are implementing PM-JAY

Hospital admissions = 1.4 crore

Amount authorised for admissions = Rs 17,535 crore

Hospitals empanelled = 24,653 (Public: Private = 54:46)

E-Cards Issued = 12.7 crore

Portability cases = 1.5 lakh

14 hospital admissions per minute

13 beneficiaries verified per minute

8 hospitals get empanelled per day

(Edits by Team Express Healthcare)