Inclusion Of Healthcare Workers Into Ayushman Bharat A Welcome Step: Experts
The union government in the 'vote on account' presented on 1 February 2024, has decided to extend the health cover of Ayushman Bharat yojana to Anganwadi, Accredited Social Health Activist (Asha) worker and helpers.
“Healthcare cover under Ayushman Bharat scheme will be extended to all Asha workers, Anganwadi Workers and helpers,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, while presenting 'vote on account' in the Parliament.
Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is a health assurance scheme which aims at providing a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to over 12 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 55 crore beneficiaries) that form the bottom 40 per cent of the Indian population.
“Expanding Ayushman Bharat health insurance to Asha, Aanganwadi workers and helpers supports the frontline healthcare workforce. Efficacy will depend on seamless collaboration between the public and private sectors, coupled with the necessary digital infrastructure,” said Vaibhav Tewari, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder, Portea Medical.
The government has said that it will enhance the reach of the U-win portal to support the efforts of Mission Indradhanush. Mission Indradhanush (MI) was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on 25 December 2014. It is a special catch-up campaign under the universal immunisation program (UIP), conducted in the areas of low immunisation coverage to vaccinate all the children and pregnant women left out or dropped out from routine immunisation.
“The newly designed U-win platform for managing immunisation and intensified efforts of Mission Indradhanush will be rolled out expeditiously throughout the country,” FM Sitharaman said during her budget speech.
The minister further added that various schemes for maternal and child care will be brought under one comprehensive programme for synergy in implementation. Upgradation of Anganwadi centres under ‘Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0’ will be expedited for improved nutrition delivery, early childhood care and development.
Sitharaman also said that many youth are ambitious to get qualified as doctors and they aim to serve citizens through improved healthcare services. The union government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising the existing hospital infrastructure under various departments. A committee for this purpose will be set up to examine the issues and make relevant recommendations, the finance minister said.
“In healthcare, we were hoping to see an increase in the GDP allocation of a minimum of five per cent for the sector, hopefully, this will be addressed in the complete budget to be announced in July this year, under the new government. We are glad that the government is considering adding more hospitals in all districts in the country, which is essential to meet the rising demand. We would recommend focusing on public-private partnerships (PPP) to address this. With all maternal and child healthcare to be brought under one- scheme, this will be essential,” said Azad Moopen, founder and chairman, Aster DM Healthcare.
Sitharaman also said that the central government will encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of nine to fourteen years for the prevention of cervical cancer.
“Furthermore, the inclusion of cervical cancer prevention through vaccination for young girls is commendable. It emphasizes the importance of preventive healthcare measures in addressing significant public health concerns. However, beyond disease prevention, there's a compelling need for universal healthcare coverage. Access to quality healthcare should be a fundamental right for every individual, irrespective of socioeconomic status. Achieving universal healthcare coverage requires concerted efforts from both public and private sectors, alongside policy interventions aimed at bridging healthcare disparities,” said Nilesh Aggarwal, CEO, IJCP Group and founder, Medtalks.
Experts suggest that while certain recommendations have been proposed in the budget to enhance healthcare, there remains a substantial need for further measures to ensure comprehensive and accessible healthcare for all.
“There were several other key expectations that have remained unaddressed such as expansion of insurance coverage outside of hospital care, funding, support for tech-driven healthcare sector, and healthcare startups etc. Since this is an interim budget, it seems that barring some of the operational needs, major policy initiatives have been left out for the full annual Budget that will be presented after the elections this year,” said Tewari from Portea Medical.
