Ayushman Bhav: May All Be Free of Illness

Why in News?

• Ayushman Bharat programme was started by the Government of India in 2018 to address the need for universal health coverage.
• In order to push the Ayushman Bharat programme further, a new campaign - Ayushman Bhav, was recently launched by the Government of India.

Ayushman Bharat Mission and Its Objectives

• Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
  • It is a flagship health protection scheme launched by the Government of India in 2018. 
  • It aims to provide universal health coverage to the poor and vulnerable sections of society by ensuring access to quality healthcare services.
  • It has the potential to transform the healthcare landscape of the country by reducing poverty, enhancing productivity, and promoting social justice.
• Objectives of AB-PMJAY
  • The mission will reduce the financial burden of out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on healthcare for the beneficiaries.
  • It will improve the access and affordability of healthcare services for the beneficiaries.
  • The mission will help in enhancing the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery systems in the country.
  • And it will promote preventive, promotive, and curative health interventions for the beneficiaries.

Challenges of Ayushman Bharat Mission

• Lack of Awareness
  • The scheme faces a low awareness level among the potential beneficiaries, especially in rural areas.
  • Many eligible beneficiaries are not aware of their entitlements or how to avail them.
  • Hence, there is a need to increase the outreach and communication efforts of the scheme to create more awareness and demand.
• Supply-Side Constraint
  • The scheme faces supply-side constraints due to the uneven distribution and availability of healthcare infrastructure and human resources in the country.
  • Many states have a shortage of empanelled hospitals, especially in remote and tribal areas.
• Reimbursement Issues
  • The scheme faces a challenge of ensuring timely and adequate reimbursement of claims to the empanelled hospitals, especially private ones.
  • Many hospitals have complained of delayed payments, low package rates, high denial rates, and cumbersome processes.

Ayushman Bhav: A New Campaign

• It is not just about devising a new healthcare programme the goal should be to make sure everyone benefits.
• That is where the new campaign Ayushman Bhav comes in. It was launched by the President on September 13.
• It focuses on comprehensive coverage, developing awareness about PM-JAY, creating health account IDs, and providing health services.
• It will also include disease screenings and management of multiple illnesses such as tuberculosis, hypertension, sickle cell disease and diabetes in villages as well as urban wards.

Objectives of Ayushman Bhav Campaign

• In Line with the Antyodaya Principle
  • Ayushman Bhav’s primary mission is to reach over 6.45 lakh villages and 2.55 lakh gram panchayats.
  • It is designed in line with the antyodaya principle to make sure that no one is left behind in the quest for universal health coverage.
  • To facilitate this, the campaign will have activities such as sewapakhwada, which would include organ donation drives, cleanliness drives (swachhataabhiyan) and blood donation initiatives.
• To Enhance Ground Delivery Service
  • Strengthening the groundwork for delivery of healthcare services, this campaign broadens Ayushman Bharat’s reach using three core pillars:
    • Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0,
    • Ayushman Sabha,
    • Ayushman Mela.
  • These pillars enhance service delivery by focusing on comprehensive coverage, collaborative awareness-building, and community-centred efforts.

How Will the Three Pillars Enhance the Ground Delivery Service?

• Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0
  • It will build on the success of its earlier versions (1.0 and 2.0) by expanding Ayushman card distribution with enhanced utilisation of Ayushman Bharat services, ensuring widespread coverage.
  • The Ayushman-Apke Dwar initiative will commence with an extensive country-wide drive on September 17 and run until December 3.
  • It will ensure the provision of Ayushman cards to around 60 crore beneficiaries under the PM-JAY scheme.
  • Through Ayushman Apke Dwar, every eligible family in the country will be registered for Ayushman cards.
  • The primary objective of this pillar is to ensure that every eligible beneficiary receives their Ayushman card, leaving no one without access to affordable healthcare services.
• Ayushman Sabah
  • Ayushman Sabhas will promote awareness of various healthcare schemes and services available in the country and will be spearheaded by the village health, sanitation, and nutrition committees (VHSNCs).
  • Ayushman Sabhas will convene on October 2 with a subsequent round taking place before December 31 spanning villages and urban wards.
  • Ayushman Sabhas will serve as a platform for citizens to gain knowledge about communicable and non-communicable diseases and voice their concerns about healthcare services.
  • Also, these sabhas will promote social accountability of healthcare systems and exemplifying the principle of “janbhagidari se jankalyan”.
  • These gatherings will include activities like distributing PM-JAY cards, showcasing empanelled hospitals, creating Ayushman Bharat Health Account IDs, screening services, and organising talks to raise awareness about various diseases.
  • These sabhas will see participation from MPs/MLAs, PM-JAY beneficiaries, Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres beneficiaries, and tuberculosis champions and more to motivate the community.
• Ayushman Mela
  • To advance the Ayushman Bhav initiative, Ayushman Melas will serve as an efficient platform to tackle a broad spectrum of health concerns, efficiently reaching a large audience and boosting healthcare service utilisation.
  • Ayushman Melas will be held every week at 1.6 lakh HWCs in villages. They will also take place at community health centres, organised by medical colleges at the block level.
  • This will be pivotal to spreading awareness of healthcare services among vulnerable and impoverished populations.

Anticipated Outcome of the Ayushman Bhav Mission

• The anticipated outcome is the transformation of every village and urban ward into an Ayushman Gram Panchayat or Ayushman Urban Ward, advancing holistic and sustainable development at the grass roots level.
• The mission is to certify villages that achieve 100 per cent coverage of selected schemes under each pillar.

Conclusion

• In the context of optimum healthcare delivery vision, the unwavering pursuit of comprehensive healthcare coverage is not just a goal, it is a commitment in the service of humanity in line with Indian ancient wisdom.
• Ayushman Bhav is the embodiment of the same commitment to delivering healthcare. It fosters the prospects of robust health for every citizen and the nation as a whole.

Q1) What is the Antyodaya Principle?

Antyodaya’ means the rise of the last person. The measurement of economic plans and economic growth cannot be done with those who have risen above on the economic ladder but of those who are at the bottom. 

Q2) How has Ayushman Bharat PMJAY impacted the common people?

The scheme has reduced the Out of Pocket Expenditure(OOPE) of the beneficiaries by 60 % and increased their access to tertiary care by 65 %. The scheme has also improved the health-seeking behaviour and satisfaction of the beneficiaries. The scheme has enhanced the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery systems in the country by introducing standard treatment protocols, quality certification, and performance-based incentives for the empanelled hospitals.

Source: The Indian Express