UP emerged as the First State to issue five crore Ayushman cards

Uttar Pradesh has become the first state to issue 5 crore Ayushman cards. Cards are issued under the Centre’s flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

UPs Achievements

• The Uttar Pradesh government has issued 50,017,920 Ayushman cards and provided benefits to 74,382,304 individuals as per a press release. 3,716 hospitals in the State are covered under this scheme.
• A total of 3,481,252 health claims filed under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Out of which 3,275,737 claims have been settled on a rate of 92.48 percent in the State.
• The CEO of the State Agency for Comprehensive Health and Integrated Services, Sangeeta Singh, has stated that this is a significant achievement and is the outcome of continuous support from the National Health Authority, along with the dedication of ground workers, panchayat assistants, ANMs, medical officers, ASHAs, and other workers. 
• Additionally, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of patients receiving free treatment under this scheme daily.

Ayushman Bharat

• Ayushman Bharat is a government-led healthcare scheme launched on September 23, 2018, based on the recommendations of the National Health Policy 2017.
• The scheme aims to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and has two main components: the PM-JAY program and Health and Wellness Centers. 
• The scheme is designed to provide coverage for over 10 crore impoverished and vulnerable families, which is approximately 50 crore individuals. 
• It offers up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year specifically for secondary and tertiary hospitalization care. 
• Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will replace the existing centrally sponsored schemes, namely the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).

Features:

• The Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission is a scheme that will provide a benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per year to every family. The benefit is portable throughout the country, meaning that beneficiaries can access cashless benefits from any public or private hospitals that are empanelled. 
• This scheme is entitlement-based and will consider the deprivation criteria found in the socio-economic caste census (SECC) database. 
• Beneficiaries can use the benefits of the scheme in both public and private facilities. Treatment payments will be based on a predefined package rate set by the government to control costs.
• One of the central principles of the scheme is cooperative federalism, giving states flexibility. The Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-NHPMC) was established for coordination between the Centre and States.
• This council will be chaired by the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister.
• States will need to have a State Health Agency (SHA) to implement the scheme. To ensure timely funding, funds from the Central Government to State Health Agencies may be transferred through an escrow account directly. 
  • A paperless, cashless transaction system will be put in place through the IT platform, which will be developed in partnership with NITI Aayog.

National Health Authority (NHA)

• The National Health Authority (NHA) is responsible for implementing India's primary health insurance program, known as the "Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana." 
• NHA has been tasked with developing a plan, building technical infrastructure, and executing the "Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission," which aims to establish a national digital health system. 
• NHA is working with various ministries, state governments, and private and civil organizations to oversee the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).