Women make up 47.5% of hospitalisations over 3 years

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26

Women are finally coming forward to seek healthcare services with nearly half of all free hospitalisations authorised under the national flagship universal health coverage scheme — Ayushman Bharat — over the past three years involving women.

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, which entails free and cashless secondary and tertiary healthcare services up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, completed three years this week. An analysis of the services offered shows that since its launch on September 13, 2018, at least 2.2 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 26,132 crore were authorised across India under the scheme.

Ayushman Bharat achieves gender parity

Since its launch on September 13, 2018, at least 2.2 crore hospital admissions costing Rs26,132 crore were authorised across India under the scheme
The National Health Authorities data shows 50 per cent of nearly 11 crore individuals verified under PM-JAY IT system are also women
General medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology are top procedures women availed

Gender equity was nearly achieved with women accounting for 47.5 per cent of the total authorised hospital admissions. General medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery, medical oncology and ophthalmology were the top procedures women availed. The National Health Authorities data show 50 per cent of nearly 11 crore individuals verified under PM-JAY IT system are also women.

Top states with the highest number of hospitalisations under AB PM-JAY as in September 2021 are Tamil Nadu 40,39,928; Kerala 27,32,585; Gujarat 25,06,411; Karnataka 17,53,363 and Chhattisgarh 16,89,961.

Overall under the programme, top specialties availed for hospitalisations under the scheme over three years were general medicine; infectious diseases; general surgery; medical oncology; obstetrics and gynaecology.

The PM-JAY beneficiaries are identified as per 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) database based on six deprivation and 11 occupational criteria in rural and urban areas, respectively. Although the SECC beneficiaries number 10.74 crore families (53 crore individuals), the scheme, currently being implemented by 33 states and UTs has been expanded to reach 13.44 crore families (64 crore individuals).