Odisha ranks first in disbursal of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY cards in the country

Bhubaneswar: Inaugurating the national-level ‘Chintan Shivir’ on Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling today said the State has secured the top position in the country in the distribution of AB PM-JAY cards to eligible beneficiaries.

Mahaling further informed Odisha has been ranked fifth nationwide in the generation of Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana (AVVY) cards for senior citizens aged 70 years and above.

“AB PM-JAY, an outcome of the National Health Policy 2017 launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has brought a revolutionary transformation in the country’s healthcare system. It is now the world’s largest universal healthcare programme,” the minister said. The scheme was launched in Odisha on April 11, 2025.

He said the scheme in Odisha has been implemented in convergence with the state’s flagship Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana (GJAY). Under the converged scheme, each beneficiary family is entitled to cashless treatment worth ₹5 lakh per year, with an additional ₹5 lakh cover for women members of the family.

All senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their economic status, are also entitled to the same benefits under the AVVY scheme.

Around 80 per cent of Odisha’s total population of 4.5 crore has been covered under the converged health insurance programme, the minister added.

Mahaling also suggested the ‘Chintan Shivir’ could deliberate on the inclusion of Ayurvedic and Homeopathic treatment packages under AB PM-JAY, in addition to existing allopathic packages.

In his keynote address, National Health Authority (NHA) CEO Sunil Kumar Barnwal said the digital platforms of AB PM-JAY and ABDM have been designed in a way that allows multiple service delivery systems to be integrated.

He noted the extensive database generated through ABDM would play a crucial role in disease mapping, surveillance, preventive healthcare and promotive health services.

The two-day Chintan Shivir includes six sessions, of which five are technical sessions. On the first day, deliberations were held on topics such as:

Progress of AB PM-JAY across states; Ayushman App and online modules for card creation; Action plan for ABDM implementation; e-Sushrut@Clinic, Aarogya Setu App and drug registry; Implementation methodology in empanelled hospitals; National anti-fraud system to prevent misuse.

During the inaugural session, three key agreements were signed: MoU between NHA and BHASINI for multilingual access to health services; MoU between NHA and the Indian Institute of Science for collaborative research; MoU between NHA and the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) to maintain national quality standards at healthcare facilities

Health and Family Welfare Secretary Aswathy S. delivered the welcome address on the first day of the conclave.