AB-PMJAY, Jan Aushadhi Kendras boosting healthcare for middle class in last 11 years
'Healthcare in India has seen a quiet but far-reaching shift in the last eleven years. Through a blend of targeted public schemes and digital reach, the Government has made quality healthcare both affordable and accessible for millions, especially the middle class,' the statement said.
With more than 41.02 crore Ayushman Cards created in 33 States and Union Territories, as of May 30, AB-PMJAY has emerged as one of the world's largest publicly funded health assurance schemes.
The scheme has enabled 8.59 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 1,19,858 crore, ensuring access to secondary and tertiary care without pushing families into debt, the statement said.
Further, with the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras rising to 16,469, as of May 30, from just 80 in 2014, the PMBJP brought essential medicines within reach of the common citizen.
These outlets offer medicines that cost 50 to 80 per cent less than branded options, with strict quality standards ensured through WHO-GMP certified suppliers.
The scheme serves around 10 to 12 lakh people daily, and cumulative savings over the last eleven years are estimated to be more than Rs 38,000 crore, the statement said.
The product range now includes 2,110 medicines, including for chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease, and 315 surgical products, covering all major treatments, cutting down financial stress for millions of families, especially the middle class.
'From free hospitalisation for senior citizens to low-cost medicines available nationwide, people today have better control over their health expenses. The digital backbone supporting these schemes has made enrolment, access, and tracking easier than ever. This change has allowed the middle class to benefit from savings on medicines, timely treatment, and greater medical security without bureaucratic hassles,' the statement said.
'Over the past eleven years, the government has shown unwavering commitment to uplifting the middle class in meaningful ways. The policies and reforms introduced have not only eased everyday challenges but also strengthened financial security, housing, healthcare, and skill development,' it added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Kerala fire staff remove metal ring from tribal man's finger
COIMBATORE: A heavy metal ring, which was stuck on a 40-year-old tribal man's little finger, was removed with help from fire safety personnel at the Sulthan Bathery fire station, near Kerala's Wayanad. Gopal, a resident of Kurumbarpadi tribal hamlet near Masinagudi in Nilgiris, wore metal rings on all his fingers. As the rings became tighter, locals helped him remove them. However, the ring on his little finger was stuck, causing his finger to swell due to restricted blood circulation. On Friday, drivers from the Nilgiris Motor Drivers Union (NMDU) took him to Gudalur government hospital, where he was examined and referred to Ooty Medical College Hospital for surgery. The doctors said surgery was the only option to remove the ring. Since he had no one to care for him, he was taken to Gudalur fire and rescue station. "The team tried their best and suggested that we go to Sultan Bathery fire and rescue station in Kerala, about 75 kilometres from Masinagudi. The union provided travel support, and we informed them of our arrival. The fire and rescue team asked us to hurry as one of their staff who was skilled in handling such cases was about to go on leave. Thankfully, they waited for us," said P Arumugam, a driver who assisted Gopal. Using a small steel cutter, the team completed the task within 30 minutes. After the ring was removed, Gopal took a sigh of relief. We thank the fire and rescue team at Sultan Bathery, Arumugam added. Station officer Sarath PK and senior fire and rescue officer Vinu TK from Sultan Bathery fire station helped with the removal. "It was a risky task as the steel cutter could accidentally cut the finger if we weren't careful. We were mindful of the man's pain and the swelling. While cutting the ring, we strived to protect the finger and sprayed water to avoid heat. We had conducted several similar operations over the past year, successfully removing rings in nine cases from Nilgiris district," said Keerthick Kumar, a staff member. According to locals, these procedures can be carried out with proper training and costs around Rs 5,000. However, due to a lack of training within the Tamil Nadu fire service to handle such situations, they often seek assistance from Kerala.
Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Time of India
Cuddle cure? Inside India's quietly growing 'healing touch' therapy trend
On a rainy July afternoon, I walk through the doors of a modest two-storey 'healing' centre at DLF Phase 4 in Gurgaon. Inside, Chitra, a 25-year-old 'healing touch' practitioner and naturopath, greets me. The room has thick orange drapes and is softly lit with incense trays. There is a big Bodhi tree carved on one wall and a roof-to-floor mirror on another. Ahead of the mirror, on a woven carpet on the wooden floor, is a grey velvet couch, a grey table and two wheelie chairs. There is a silence, intentional—and oddly intimate. I am here to try out a 'healing therapy' like no other—a cuddling session with Chitra at Aadi Care. TOUCHED BY A STRANGER The session starts with pleasantries. Chitra asks if I am comfortable, if the room temperature is okay, whether I need water, or if I want to adjust anything. She invites me to sit beside her on the couch, not across. Then we move to a few rounds of deep breathing. The pace is unhurried. Chitra introduces some foundational poses like a side hug. Then she asks for my consent—if I am okay to be held in a certain way—and we begin the session. I rest my head on her shoulder as she pats my head, asking about my day, life and, occasionally, sharing hers. Later, we sit cross-legged facing each other, holding hands lightly—sometimes we talk, sometimes we just breathe in sync. While the physical closeness is comforting, I am feeling unsure, somewhere between curiosity and awkwardness. The stillness feels unfamiliar, and the unfamiliarity lingers. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Degree Finance Project Management Healthcare Design Thinking Artificial Intelligence Leadership MBA Data Science Cybersecurity Data Analytics Product Management Data Science healthcare others Others Operations Management CXO MCA Technology Management PGDM Public Policy Digital Marketing Skills you'll gain: Data-Driven Decision-Making Strategic Leadership and Transformation Global Business Acumen Comprehensive Business Expertise Duration: 2 Years University of Western Australia UWA Global MBA Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details Aadi Care undertakes 15-20 cuddle sessions a month. Chitra says, 'Touch is a basic human need, like food or water. But most of us are touch-starved—and we don't even realise it.' Cuddle therapy is a fringe healing technique that started in the US in the 2010s and is making its way to India with 'cuddle therapists' or 'healing touch' practitioners ready to help you hug out your problems. They say they offer sessions to help people feel held—literally and emotionally—with 'safe, consensual, platonic touch'. Chitra says her clients are mostly cancer patients, trauma survivors and those nursing heartbreak. She says she makes it a point to talk about hygiene and no-go zones. She notes the clients' medical history and verifies their IDs. Chitra's hug doesn't come cheap. Aadi Care's sessions are priced at Rs 20,000 for an hour, which is much higher than what a few other practitioners ET spoke to charge. Live Events EMBRACE THE CHANGE? A 'cuddle therapy' does not have the components of a therapy: there is no guided conversation, diagnosis or treatment. Nishul Gupta, a senior psychologist at Fitterfly, Delhi, says cuddle therapy is at best a somatic tool that can foster emotional regulation, reduce stress and address the often-overlooked need for safe, consensual human touch. He adds, 'While it can benefit individuals dealing with isolation, anxiety, or emotional numbness, it's not a replacement for psychotherapy and must be practised with strict ethical boundaries and trauma sensitivity. In some cases, touch can trigger past wounds, so careful screening is essential.' Cuddle therapy practitioners claim it is a very in-the-moment practice. Simran Chandnani, founder of the recently launched In Finite Spaces in Hyderabad, calls herself a certified platonic touch practitioner aka professional cuddler. She is also an intimacy coach. She begins by exploring why the clients are turning to touch, in addition to understanding their session preferences. She says, 'It's about helping people tune in to what their body wants.' Her sessions involve grounding practices, guided somatics, soothing touch and non-judgmental listening. Meanwhile, in Delhi, Healmate, which started in 2021, offers cuddle therapy at its temporary studio or at a client's home, apart from services like 'rent a friend' where individuals can hire someone to spend time with them in a social capacity like going to the movies. Sonu Naraiyan, founder of Healmate, says she uses touch techniques like gentle stroking and holding hands, depending on the comfort level of the client, to promote emotional well-being and relaxation. 'Sometimes, a client just wants to be held. Other times, they just need someone to sit beside them and stay quiet. My job is to listen, not rush,' she says. Aili Seghetti , an Italian, who has founded The Intimacy Curator in Mumbai, is an intimacy coach and cuddle therapist. She says, 'Touch grounds us in the moment, communicating what words often cannot: safety, love, boundaries, emotional states.' Nothing is more important than consent when it comes to cuddle therapy, says Trevor Hooton aka Treasure, who runs Embrace Connections in Bristol, England. Dr Deepak Raheja, senior psychiatrist, psychotherapist and director, Hope Care India , Delhi, says, 'Anyone offering cuddle therapy should be transparent about their training and know how to handle emotional reactions. If something feels off—like secrecy, vague qualifications, or sexual undertone—that's a red flag. Also, if a practitioner dismisses your discomfort or pushes you to continue when you are unsure, walk away. These therapies should never feel coercive or blurry.' TRAINED TO TOUCH? Who trains cuddle therapists? Websites like Cuddlist and Cuddle Sanctuary promise to make one a cuddle practitioner—the former offers to give a 'certification' after a couple of classes while the latter has 15 hours of live training. Cuddle Professionals International, founded by one Claire Mendelsohn in the UK, offers certification and codes of conduct. Indian practitioners say they adapt the practice to local contexts. Chandnani says she is certified by Cuddle Sanctuary. The cost of cuddle sessions varies across practitioners. Naraiyan, who has worked with over 250 clients, offers sessions starting at Rs 1,999 for 60 minutes, while In Finite Spaces' sessions start at Rs 4,000. Seghetti charges Rs 5,000 for women and trans clients, and Rs 10,000 for others. Treasure's sessions in the UK are priced at £75 (approximately Rs 8,600) for an hour. Chandnani says no two sessions are the same: 'Sometimes people want to be heard or acknowledged but often they also just want to be held and witnessed.' Chitra says her clients book monthly sessions to manage anxiety or pain. Naraiyan says her clients range from entrepreneurs to homemakers. 'Many of them aren't lonely in the traditional sense. They have families or partners, but they lack safe, non-judgmental physical affection,' she says. Raheja says alternative therapies are filling a void left by modern-day living. 'People are more digitally connected and emotionally isolated. We are missing physical presence.' His advice? 'Sometimes, the solution can be as simple as getting a pet. A dog or a cat can offer unconditional affection and oxytocin.' WHAT? Cuddle Therapy, or touch therapy, is a service that claims to provide people with a safe space to enjoy non-sexual physical touch WHAT HAPPENS? In a session, a trained cuddler offers physical contact, from holding hands to hugging HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? It varies from Rs 2,000 to Rs 20,000 for an hour, depending on place, duration and nature of the session
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Pitched as ‘educational revolution' in 2022, why the ‘MBBS in Hindi' initiative has seen few takers
Launching the MBBS course in Hindi in Bhopal on 16 October 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that it was in line with the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasised imparting primary, technical and medical education in students' mother tongues. The trigger: A lukewarm response to an initiative started in 2022 through which the course was launched in Hindi in MP, a first anywhere in the country. New Delhi: Last month, the Madhya Pradesh government announced that a rebate of 50 percent in examination fee will be offered to MBBS students opting to write the annual tests in Hindi. Those topping the test in the language will also be given cash awards, with the highest reward set at Rs 2 lakh. Calling it an 'educational revolution' aimed at restoring the pride of 'our languages', Shah had dedicated text books for MBBS first year, translated to Hindi from English and procured at a cost of Rs 10 crore. Over the next two years, state governments in at least four other states, including neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, also announced plans to replicate the project. However, while some students, enthused by the idea of studying medicine in the language they are most comfortable with, picked the textbooks—mostly kept in college libraries following supplies by publishers such as J.P. Publication and Elsevier—not a single student in any of these states so far has written the MBBS examination in Hindi. The reason for this, according to students, is the fear that studying medicine in the local language may limit their potential and career prospects, which demand English proficiency. 'I come from a small town and though I went to an English medium school, I am not very comfortable in the language,' a second-year MBBS student at Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal and a resident of Rewa, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint. The idea of studying medicine in Hindi seemed good initially, she said. 'That's because when we get into pursuing the course, there are two big challenges—learning medicine and a language that is not our first language. The new textbooks, which are in Hinglish—interspersed with technical words in English with grammar in Hindi—made life easy, at least during the initial few months. 'Yet, when I assessed whether I should opt for the first year examination in Hindi, there was not much confusion around the decision because I know that evidence-based medicine is universal and it is better to follow it in a universal language,' the second year-MBBS student remarked. According to officials in MP Medical Science University, while all 18 government medical colleges under it have ensured that Hindi textbooks till 3rd year of MBBS are available for those interested, only about 10-15 percent of the students opted for the book. Also, there are no takers for the examinations in Hindi. 'We are trying to push for it but students do not seem to be finding it useful from the career perspective,' said a senior official in the university, requesting anonymity. ThePrint reached out to Rajendra Shukla, deputy chief minister and state health minister over the phone. This report will be updated if and when a reply is received. In other states too, the initiative has met a similar response. In Bihar, for instance, while nearly 20 percent of the first-year MBBS students last year in a few government medical colleges opted for Hindi books, none wrote the examination in the language this year. 'There has been an option for MBBS students to now study the course in Hindi… (but) the response has not been very enthusiastic though we tied up with MP-based publishers of Hindi textbooks to encourage students to pursue the programme in the language,' conceded Shashank Sinha, special secretary in the Bihar state health department. The trajectory has not been different in Chhattisgarh, UP and Rajasthan. Yet, proponents of the initiative feel it's an experiment worth pursuing. 'I am not a fanatic (over this project) but I feel it's an initiative that needs to be introduced and encouraged. When countries like Japan, China, France and Germany teach medicine to their students in their mother tongue and can still be competitive globally, why can't we do that?' asked Dr B.N. Gangadhar, outgoing chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC) which regulates medical colleges across India. But few others agree. 'Our realities are different from those countries, where mostly one language dominates,' said Dr Shivkumar Utture, former NMC member and president of the Maharashtra Medical Council. The initiative, he said, has not been thought through or planned well and was started without holding wide consultations to assess ground realities. 'Due to these factors,' Utture said, 'the response is poor among MBBS students'. Breaking barriers or creating them? The argument given in favour of the initiative is that it will empower students from small towns and rural areas. 'The idea is to ease challenges that new MBBS inductees face when they join medical colleges. Being armed with a textbook in their first language is likely to make the navigation easier. I faced a similar problem when I went into medical college decades ago because I was not well versed in English,' Gangadhar told ThePrint. But those studying medicine now have different opinions. In a globalised world, which wants to connect in a common language and exchange ideas on a daily basis, these thoughts are outdated, they say. 'The Hindisation of MBBS curriculum in the current circumstances is a regressive step and it is only a political stunt aimed to appease certain groups,' Dr Amit Banjara, secretary of the Junior Doctors' Association, Chhattisgarh, said. According to Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti, a geriatrician based in Delhi, who completed his MBBS from Government Medical College Jabalpur in 2010, pursuing the course in Hindi may limit the students for life. 'It may actually end up creating barriers for doctors rather than opening doors for them because science constantly evolves and as practitioners of modern medicine, they have to be comfortable in a language that is acceptable and usable worldwide, irrespective of our background,' Bhatti said. 'Reaching patients in a language they understand' The advocates for MBBS in Hindi also argue that those studying in Hindi, or in other regional languages once they are available, is likely to help medical practitioners communicate better with their patients. The statistics show that nearly 60 percent MBBS pass-outs prefer to work in the states from which they completed their course, pointed out the outgoing NMC chairman. 'Against this background, it makes sense that they study the textbooks in a language which can also be the language of their communication with the patients,' Gangadhar insisted. Many public health specialists, however, had a differing opinion. 'I am for education in one's mother tongue but I fully disagree about the same in national or state languages. Hindi, for example, is an urban language, which is seldom spoken or understood in most rural areas of what we call Hindi heartland,' said Raman V.R., a public health expert from Chhattisgarh. The lingua franca of Hindi heartland are actually Diaavadhi, Bhojpuri, Brij, Khari boli, Magahi, Maithili, Garhwali, Kumaoni and Pahadi, among others, according to the public health specialist. Further, without having a change in cultural orientation around languages, it is difficult to prepare useful textbooks or reading material in non-English Indian languages, as the broader language structures and vocabulary are heavily influenced by Sanskrit in most local languages, experts also point out. 'As a person who tried to prepare resources and training material in Malayalam and Hindi, I have seen these challenges and I have been struggling myself at times, when it comes to preparing communicative material,' said Raman. He added that unless there is a change in the larger approach across educational, administrative and societal levels about languages and communication, a reform limited to one sector can only lead to a backlash and it's better to orient doctors about the cultural and behavioral aspects of treating the rural population. Those specialising in public health also said that while using regional languages to make higher education accessible is beneficial in itself, it needs to be backed up by research journals in that language. For instance, there are quality scientific journals in languages such as French, German, Swedish, Chinese, Russian journals and Japanese. As medicine is an evolving science and doctors need to constantly upgrade their knowledge, the current push may lead to outdated doctors for rural areas, said Dr Prabir K.C., an independent public health consultant from Kolkata. The NMC chairman, meanwhile, maintained that the progress of the Hindi push in MBBS course and the students' response to it can be assessed only 5-10 years down the line. 'We can then decide whether the intended purpose of the initiative is being fulfilled or not,' he said. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Doctors welcome MP's decision to scrap seat-leaving bond for MBBS students. What the policy entails
