New Delhi: Ayush packages are not included in the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the government told Parliament on Friday. The ABPMJAY aims at providing a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary-care hospitalisation to approximately 55 crore beneficiaries corresponding to 12.37 crore families constituting the bottom 40 per cent of India’s population.
The latest National Health Benefits Packages include 1,961 packages across 27 specialties, offering secondary and tertiary-care services to PMJAY beneficiaries, Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
All pre-existing conditions are covered from day one and the services include a list of predetermined procedures, covering all the costs related to treatment, he added.
The addition of new packages to the National Health Benefits Packages’ list is done by committees set up for different specialties, comprising experts from leading institutions, Jadhav said.
The committees assess the need for the inclusion of a new package, evaluating the clinical relevance, cost-effectiveness and overall impact of the proposed package on patient care and health outcomes, he added.
The committees also finalise the standard treatment guidelines and required documentation to guide healthcare providers and streamline the claims process.
Recommendations of the committees are reviewed by the Health Policy and Quality Assurance Division of the National Health Authority (NHA) and after consultations with the state health authorities, the packages are finalised for inclusion in the National Health Benefits Packages with the approval of the competent authority, Jadhav said.
Ayush packages are not included in the AB-PMJAY, he added.
Listing the steps taken by the Ayush ministry to create awareness and boost the popularity of the Ayush system of medicines among people, Jadhav said his ministry is implementing the centrally-sponsored scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) through state governments and Union Territory administrations for the development and promotion of the Ayush system of medicines in the country, and providing financial assistance to them in accordance with the proposals received in their state annual action plans (SAAPs).
Among other things, the mission makes provisions for Ayush health and wellness centres, co-location of Ayush facilities at PHCs, CHCs and DHs, upgrading the existing standalone government Ayush hospitals, upgrading the existing government, panchayat or government-aided Ayush dispensaries, construction of buildings for existing Ayush dispensaries (rented/dilapidated accommodation), setting up up to 10, 30 or 50-bedded integrated Ayush hospitals and supplying essential drugs to government Ayush hospitals.
The ministry has developed a Central Sector Scheme for Promotion of International Cooperation in Ayush (IC scheme) under which it provides support to Indian Ayush manufacturers and Ayush service providers to give a boost to the export of Ayush products and services, and facilitates the international promotion, development and recognition of the Ayush system of medicine.
It also fosters interactions of stakeholders and market development of Ayush at the international level, promotes academics and research through the establishment of Ayush academic chairs in foreign countries and holds training workshops and symposiums for promoting and strengthening awareness and interest about the Ayush system of medicine at the international level, Jadhav said.
As on March 14, 541 Ayurveda colleges across the country were approved or registered by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), a statutory regulatory body under the Ministry of Ayush, he added.
There were 3,885 Ayush hospitals in the country as on April 1, 2023, with a combined bed strength of 62,670.
As on April 1, 2023, there were 37,804 Ayush dispensaries in the country, including 25,426 dispensaries of the Ayurveda system of medicine. These hospitals are providing Ayurvedic treatment to the public at concessional rates or for free, Jadhav said.
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