(GIST OF YOJANA) Freedom of Good Health

GIST OF YOJANA : Freedom of Good Health

AUGUST-2025

Freedom of Good Health

Context:

Ayushman Bharat, a flagship initiative of the Government of India. Conceptualised as a comprehensive response to the structural challenges of India’s healthcare system, Ayushman Bharat combines financial protection, digital empowerment, and infrastructural reform into a single, coherent mission. Its four pillars- Ayushman Bharat Arogya Mandir , Aushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, and the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission together form a forward looking health ecosystem aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage.

From Policy to People: The Evolution of Ayushman Bharat

The journey of Ayushman Bharat began with a policy vision. In March 2017, the National Health Policy articulated a clear mandate: India must embrace digital technologies and financial risk protection to accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage.
In 2018, the Government of India launched AB PM-JAY, the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, offering free hospitalisation of up to Rupees 5 lakh per family per year to economically vulnerable groups.
In 2018, the first Ayushman Arogya Mandir was also set up with a vision to deliver expanded range services that go beyond maternal and childcare and include care for non-communicable diseases, palliative care and free essential drugs and diagnostic services. Through Arogya Mandirs, comprehensive primary healthcare is provided by strengthening Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).

AB PM-JAY: Financial Assurance with Dignity

Before PM-JAY, hospitalisation often meant financial catastrophes for low-income families. With high out-of-pocket expenditures and limited insurance coverage, even a routine procedure could lead to debt, delayed care, or sometimes no care at all.
PM-JAY altered this situation, which used to be a living reality for millions of Indians. By offering a cashless, paperless health insurance cover of five lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care, the scheme extended a safety net to those who needed it most.

Building the Foundation for Resilient Care

No health scheme, however well designed, can succeed without a functional delivery platform. Ayushman Arogya Mandir and PM-ABHIM were launched in recognition of this fact. While PM-JAY and ABDM focus on access and continuity, Ayushman Arogya Mandir and PM-ABHIM seek to upgrade the physical infrastructure of India’s health system.

This aspect of the mission has a three-pronged strategy.

First, it strengthens surveillance and response mechanisms through integrated public health labs, disease surveillance units, and national platforms for epidemic intelligence.
Second, it establishes critical care hospital blocks and emergency services to reduce preventable deaths and improve readiness.
Third, it expands access to frontline care through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, which are essentially revamped Health and Wellness Centres that offer a comprehensive package of services.

These services range from diagnostics and maternal health to mental health counselling and managing chronic diseases.

The scale is unprecedented. Strengthening of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs under National Health Mission and PM-ABHIM is decentralising healthcare and bringing services to the community level. These centres are integrated with ABDM and PMJAY and thus act as local nodes in a digital and clinical network for referrals, follow-ups, and real-time health data sharing.

ABDM: Empowering Citizens through Digital Health Infrastructure

In a country as diverse and decentralised as India, digitisation is not just a tool; it is a force multiplier. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission was envisioned to give every citizen the freedom to manage their health data securely, transparently, and with full consent.
Three digital registries anchor ABDM. The Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) is a 14-digit unique health ID that allows individuals to access their digital health records from anywhere in the country.
The Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) is a verified list of licensed practitioners across all systems of medicine, enhancing trust and enabling verified service discovery. The Health Facility Registry (HFR) provides a single source of truth for all public and private hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and diagnostic centres.

Innovations that Matter: From Scan & Share to Microsites

The real test of a digital health system is its ability to simplify life for users. ABDM has already proven its value through several citizen-centric innovations.
The 'Scan and Share’ feature allows patients to scan a QR code at a health facility and instantly share their ABHA- linked demographics for OPD registration. What once took 30 minutes now takes under five minutes.
More than 21,000 health facilities have issued over 12 crore such tokens, saving an estimated six crore man-hours for both patients and administrators.

Synergy in Motion: One Health Ecosystem

While each mission under Ayushman Bharat is significant, it is their synergy that creates the greatest impact. PM-jAY enables citizens to access life-saving care without fear of financial ruin.
ABDM ensures that care is continuous, data-driven, and portable. Ayushman Arogya Mandir and PM-ABHIM build the human and physical infrastructure and network to make that care resilient and responsive.

Way ahead

As India advances toward the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, Ayushman Bharat stands poised as the backbone of a citizen-first, future-ready healthcare system. The way ahead will focus on deeper integration across platforms, widespread adoption by providers, and closing the last-mile digital divide.
Innovations in Al-driven triage, remote diagnostics, and personalised care pathways will further empower citizens and providers alike. But beyond the numbers and the technology lies something more fundamental - trust.
Trust that the system will deliver when needed. Trust that no one will be left behind. Trust that health is not a privilege but accessible with dignity and autonomy.
A daily-wage worker’s wife is receiving life-saving cardiac surgery without paying a single rupee. With dignity, a transgender citizen receives cashless gender- affirming care that enables them to live independently. A child is being immunised on time because the mother’s medical records are digitally accessible at the nearest clinic.

Conclusion:

These are not exceptions. They are the stories of today, which go on to become the building blocks of a healthier, freer, and more equitable India. Ayushman Bharat transcends healthcare reform; it redefines freedom itself—a freedom that is enabled by the state, protected by public infrastructure, and delivered with dignity to every citizen, everywhere.