Latest news with #AyushmanBharat-PradhanMantriJanAarogyaYojana
India Gazette
06-07-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
"Delhi govt working to ensure right to be healthy throughout life with dignity under Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme": JP Nadda
New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): Union Health Minister JP Nadda expressed his satisfaction over the the BJP-led Delhi government in ensuring that every person gets the 'right to be healthy,' as he distributed appointment letters to Delhi Nursing Officers and Paramedical staff and flagged off Ayushman Bharat Registration Vans at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan on Sunday. Nadda underlined that Delhi observes the highest healthcare load as people across the country come to Delhi for treatment, and earlier, the healthcare system faced negligence. He commended the efforts of the current Delhi government for strengthening the healthcare infrastructure and implementing Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan AarogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) and Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM- ABHIM). According to an official statement from the health ministry, the letters were distributed in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Ministers of Government of NCT Delhi, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Minister, Health and Family Welfare & Transport and Information Technology, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Minister, Social Welfare, Welfare for SC & ST, Cooperative and Election and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Minister, Industries, Food & Supplies, Environment, Forest & Wild Life, Members of Parliament (Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Praveen Khandelwal, Yogender Chandolia and Bansuri Swaraj). He stated that 'under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ayushman Vay Vandana was introduced to ensure healthcare to the senior citizens above the age of 70. The Delhi government is working in this direction of ensuring the right to be healthy throughout life with dignity under Vay Vandana. To date, 4 lakh Ayushman Cards have been issued in Delhi, with 2 lakh cards issued under Vay Vandana.' He urged all stakeholders to work dedicatedly towards implementing PM-ABHIM in Delhi and fulfil the target of opening 1100 Ayushman Arogya mandirs by March 31, 2026, the statement mentioned. Nadda underlined that 'in 1997, the Health Policy focused primarily on curative care, while under the visionary leadership of PM, the New Health Policy 2017 was introduced with a philosophy of comprehensive care--preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative-- with a special focus on geriatric care. As per the statement, Nadda emphasised the important role of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in providing equal, affordable and accessible healthcare for all. He highlighted that 'special emphasis is being given to preventive healthcare under which initiatives for early diagnosis for different diseases have been undertaken. We are focusing on screenings of individuals over the age of 30 and working towards stalling the spread of diseases through early diagnosis. Till now, 18 crore screenings for hypertension, 17 crore screenings for diabetes, 15 crore screenings for oral cancer, 7.5 crore screenings for breast cancer and 4.5 crore screenings for cervical cancer have been conducted.' Highlighting the strides made in the direction of maternal and child care, Nadda highlighted that 'through the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, from conception to childbirth to early childhood care is being provided. Regular checkups and immunisations have led to significant improvements. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has declined from 130 to 88 per lakh live births while Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropped from 39 to 26. Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR) has declined at a rate of 42% while the global decline is 14%. The neonatal mortality rate has declined by 40% rate while the global average decline was 11%.' The Union Minister also added that 'TB incidence has reduced by 17.7%, which is more than double the global decline rate of 8.3%, which is confirmed by the WHO Global TB Report 2024.' Highlighting the substantial growth in medical education and infrastructure. Nadda stated that 'earlier India only had 7 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) till 2014, but today, 20 AIIMS are operational. The number of medical colleges has increased from 387 in 2014 to 780; the number of medical seats has increased from 51,000 to 1,18,000. Aiming for a total increase of 75,000 seats over the next five years.' Commending the initiative of Ayushman Bharat Registration Vans, Shri Nadda stated that 'running of 70 specially designed Vans in all assembly constituencies is a novel initiative in order to cover all eligible beneficiaries of PM Jan Arogya Scheme. 20 specially designed mobile vans are being flagged off. 70 such Vans will cover 70 assembly constituencies where they will collect and generate data for issuance of Ayushman Card and register the beneficiaries at their doorsteps.' Shri Nadda also highlighted the importance of the nursing and paramedical staff in the healthcare landscape and urged the newly appointed officers present to work with dedication and empathy towards implementing the healthcare schemes. Speaking on the occasion,. Rekha Gupta stated, 'Till now, 4 lakh Ayushman cards have been distributed under the Ayushman Arogya Yojana, which includes 2 lakh Vay Vandana Cards issued to the senior citizens of Delhi. A total of 2,258 individuals has already received medical treatment 108 hospitals of Delhi have been empanelled under the scheme.' She also informed that 'by 31st March 2026, a total of 1100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) will be established in Delhi using the 1700 crore Rupees allocated for Delhi under PM-ABHIM. 100 AAMs are ready, out of which 34 have already been inaugurated, and the rest will be launched this month only. The Delhi government is working with a goal of inaugurating 100 AAMs every month, with 15 AAMs in each Assembly constituency and 150 in each parliamentary constituency.' CM Gupta also underlined that 'every hospital of Delhi has a Jan Aushadhi Kendra now that ensures access to medicines to all.' She also highlighted the efforts of the Delhi government to ensure transparency in the healthcare system while keeping corruption at bay. Following sustained efforts by all stakeholders, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, NCT Delhi, has issued Offers of Appointment to 1,388 Nursing Officers and 41 Paramedical Officers selected through the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB). Till now, 1,270 candidates have accepted the offers, and their document verification process is currently underway. As of July 3, 2025, 557 Nursing Officers and 20 Paramedical Officials have successfully completed document verification. This significant recruitment drive is expected to address the acute shortage of nursing and paramedical staff in Delhi's hospitals to a great extent. In parallel, continuous efforts are being made to fill all existing and anticipated vacancies of doctors, nursing, and paramedical staff arising due to retirements, promotions, and the creation of new posts. These actions are being undertaken proactively and simultaneously. (ANI)
Hans India
06-07-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Centre aims to establish 1,100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in Delhi by March 31, 2026
Health Minister JP Nadda on Sunday urged all stakeholders to work dedicatedly towards implementing PM-ABHIM (Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission) in Delhi, and fulfil the target of opening 1,100 Ayushman Arogya mandirs by March 31, 2026, with an outlay of Rs 1,700 crore. The minister distributed appointment letters to Delhi nursing officers and paramedical staff and flagged off Ayushman Bharat Registration Vans, in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at Vigyan Bhawan here. "This is a momentous occasion as today, after 15 years, our nursing officers and paramedical staff are receiving appointment letters. With this, the Delhi government is working towards strengthening the healthcare system by recruiting a specialised workforce," Nadda said. He underlined that Delhi observes the highest healthcare load as people across the country come to Delhi for treatment, and earlier, the healthcare system faced negligence. The Minister commended the efforts of the current Delhi government for strengthening the healthcare infrastructure and implementing Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan AarogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) and PM-ABHIM. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ayushman Vay Vandana was introduced to ensure healthcare for the senior citizens above the age of 70. The Delhi government is working in this direction of ensuring the right to be healthy throughout life with dignity under Vay Vandana," the Health Minister noted. Till date, 4 lakh Ayushman Cards have been issued in Delhi, with 2 lakh cards issued under Vay Vandana. He urged all stakeholders to work dedicatedly towards implementing PM-ABHIM in Delhi and fulfil the target of opening 1,100 Ayushman Arogya mandirs till March 31, 2026. "In 1997, the Health Policy focused primarily on curative care, while under the visionary leadership of PM, the New Health Policy 2017 was introduced with a philosophy of comprehensive care—preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative - with a special focus on geriatric care," said the minister. He highlighted that "special emphasis is being given to preventive healthcare, under which initiatives for early diagnosis for different diseases have been undertaken. We are focusing on screenings of individuals over the age of 30 and working towards stalling the spread of diseases through early diagnosis". "Till now, 18 crore screenings for hypertension, 17 crore screenings for diabetes, 15 crore screenings for oral cancer, 7.5 crore screenings for breast cancer and 4.5 crore screenings for cervical cancer have been conducted," said Nadda. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has declined from 130 to 88 per lakh live births, while Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropped from 39 to 26. Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) has declined at a rate of 42 per cent, while the global decline is 14 per cent. The neonatal mortality rate has declined by 40 per cent rate while the global average decline was 11 per cent. Nadda also added that "TB incidence has reduced by 17.7 per cent, which is more than double the global decline rate of 8.3 per cent, which is confirmed by the WHO Global TB Report 2024". India only had 7 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) till 2014, but today, 20 AIIMS are operational. "The number of medical colleges has increased from 387 in 2014 to 780; the number of medical seats has increased from 51,000 to 1,18,000, aiming for a total increase of 75,000 seats over the next five years," the Health Minister said. On the occasion, CM Gupta stated: "Till now, 4 lakh Ayushman cards have been distributed under the Ayushman Arogya Yojana, which includes 2 lakh Vay Vandana Cards issued to the senior citizens of Delhi. A total of 2,258 individuals have already received medical treatment. 108 hospitals of Delhi have been empanelled under the scheme." She also underlined that "every hospital of Delhi has a Jan Aushadhi Kendra now that ensures access to medicines to all". She also highlighted the efforts of the Delhi government to ensure transparency in the healthcare system while keeping corruption at bay.
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Fake cardiologist row: NHRC directs Centre for nationwide verification of cath labs
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to verify all catheterisation laboratories (cath labs) across the country in view of the case of a 'fake cardiologist' who was arrested in April after multiple deaths were reported at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh. Also Read | 'Fake' cardiologist row: Damoh Mission Hospital management booked for forgery In a report dated July 1, seen by The Hindu, the NHRC has also issued a set of directions to Madhya Pradesh authorities, including an inspection of all cath labs functional in the State and verification of qualification of doctors working in the labs, and a departmental action against the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Damoh. The human rights body issued directions based on its enquiry that was initiated in March on a complaint from Damoh Child Welfare Committee president, Deepak Tiwari, who had alleged that at least seven patients treated by Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, who posed as a United Kingdom-based cardiologist identifying as Dr. N. John Camm, had passed away at Mission Hospital, Damoh. A three-member team of the NHRC had also visited Damoh in April to investigate the matter. Mr. Yadav had been arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj in April, about two months after he worked at the hospital in Damoh, after an FIR was filed against him for fraud and forgery. Over the course of the investigation, the local police had revealed that Mr. Yadav had been posing as a cardiologist for about 20 years and impersonating Dr. John Camm, a famous cardiologist, for about 10 years and had worked in various hospitals across India, including Apollo Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Fortis Hospital, Kota, Rajasthan; and Wockhardt Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana. The police had claimed that while his MBBS degree from University of North Bengal, Siliguri, in 1996 had been verified, various other degrees and certificates such as MD and DM were found to be 'forged'. However, the NHRC said that the principal of the North Bengal Medical College has denied that Mr. Yadav studied there. In its report, the NHRC has also flagged 'serious irregularities' in the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) at Mission Hospital and alleged that the hospital had been charging patients for services covered under the Scheme. 'It was observed that the hospital have systematically misused the scheme by issuing fraudulent bills for treatments. It has also been brought to the notice of the inquiry team, through the statements made by multiple family members of the patients, that there has been a pattern of overcharging, particularly in relation to high-cost procedures such as angiography,' the report said, asking the Union Health Ministry to issue directions to all State Governments to check the implementation of the Scheme in 'its letter and spirit'. 'Further, it was observed that accused Ajai Lall was allegedly collecting foreign funding from aboard in the name of poor patients treatment at Mission Hospital,' it added. The NHRC has also asked the Income Tax department to probe the 'alleged fund raising and donations from aboard' at the hospital. The body asked Madhya Pradesh authorities to initiate departmental action against Damoh CMHO for 'negligence and dereliction of duty' over issuing the licence of cath lab to Mission Hospital in the name of Jabalpur-based cardiologist Akhilesh Dubey, who 'denied giving his consent'. Further, the NHRC also directed the State Director-General of Police Kailash Makwana to ensure registration of separate FIRs in the cases of seven deaths, an FIR against hospital trustee Ajay Lall under relevant criminal provisions, and departmental action against police officers involved in 'negligence in registration of FIR and investigation'.
The Print
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Print
NHRC orders nationwide audit of cath labs by Centre after 7 die in MP at ‘hands of fake cardiologist'
In April this year, MP Police had arrested a man named Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav who impersonated Dr N. John Camm, a well-known cardiologist in London, by faking documents as a interventional cardiologist and performing procedures such as angiography and angioplasty that led to several fatalities at a Mission Hospital in Damoh. It is estimated that there are about 1,600 cardiac catheterisation laboratories or cath labs—specialised medical facilities equipped to perform minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat heart conditions—across 140 cities in India. Moreover, nearly 220 new such labs are being added in India annually. New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has instructed the Union Health Ministry to conduct an audit of cath labs across India following its enquiry into the case of a fake cardiologist performing cardiac procedures in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, that resulted in at least seven deaths, ThePrint has learnt. Yadav had previously worked with several hospitals in different states as a doctor—including the Apollo hospital in Raipur—and his name had figured in a list of doctors whose registrations were suspended by the Medical Council of India several years earlier following complaints of fraud. It is not yet clear how Yadav managed to establish himself as a doctor and received a licence in medicine to practise. The 8-page NHRC report, a copy of which is with ThePrint, says that not only did Yadav not have the specialisation to work as a cardiologist, there was no record of even his MBBS degree. According to local media reports, the police had found that his documents showed Yadav had studied MBBS at the North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling, but the Commission says that in response to its notice, the College said Yadav had not studied there. In MP, the Commission has said, qualifications of all doctors working in cath labs, should be verified. The NHRC report has also pointed out massive irregularities in the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) at the Mission hospital, underlining that the patients were forced to pay for procedures despite the hospital also raising claims for these with the government. In view of these findings, the Commission has also asked the health ministry to take steps to prevent misuse of the central health insurance scheme. Under AB-PMJAY, over 50 crore Indians, from low socio-economic strata, are offered cashless hospitalisation worth up to Rs 5 lakh a year through a network of empanelled hospitals. The report says that the Damoh Mission Hospital management allegedly misrepresented Yadav's qualification and presented questionable documents to both public and relevant authorities to show him as an interventional cardiologist. 'This shows that the hospital also has completely failed to comply with medical regulations, patient safety standards and ethical practice,' the Commission has said. It has asked the state police to file an FIR against the hospital management on charges related to culpable homicide, fraud, cheating and forgery. NHRC, in its letter to the Union Health Secretary, MP Chief Secretary and the state police head on July 1, has asked for an action taken report within the next four weeks. 'Our enquiry has unearthed massive systemic issues that led to loss of lives of hapless patients and accordingly we want action at multiple levels to ensure that such episodes are not repeated in future,' NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo told ThePrint. Also read: Damoh deaths row: MP's 'fake UK doctor' was banned by MCI for misconduct in 2014 Illegal authorisation for cath lab The Commission during its enquiry found that while one qualified cardiologist worked as a consultant at the hospital and visited once every month to see OPD patients, he denied having given consent to establish a cath lab at the centre. Yet, the lab was registered in his name, found the NHRC team. 'This clearly shows the fraudulent activities continuously taking place in the Mission Hospital,' the report says. The report goes on to mention that no inspection of the lab was carried out by the district health officer, Damoh, or his team, to verify the degree and registration of the doctor and the establishment. Noting that there has been negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of the district health officer, the report has instructed the MP chief secretary to carry out appropriate departmental action against him. Massive frauds under Ayushman Bharat Multiple family members of patients undergoing treatment at the faculty informed the team that they had paid up to Rs 2.80 lakh for procedures such as angioplasty at the hospital. Under the health insurance scheme, empanelled hospitals are supposed to provide services free of cost to the patient while the government reimburses the cost to the hospital at specified rates. The report noted that the malpractices by the hospital defeated the health insurance scheme's core objective of providing accessible and affordable healthcare to economically vulnerable individuals. The NHRC team also found that the hospital was collecting funds from abroad in the name of treating poor patients while indulging in malpractices and forcing patients to pay. These transactions should be thoroughly investigated, the Commission has instructed the state government, also directing it to examine the operation and running of the hospital in detail. The Commission has said that the next of kin of all 7 patients who died following surgeries by Yadav should be paid Rs 10 lakh each as compensation, which can be recovered from the hospital management or the fake doctor. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Warned imposter, decided against pursuing case legally, says British cardiologist Dr John Camm
The Print
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Print
How Bihar is ramping up AB-PMJAY heath infra to keep patients from turning to Delhi, Vellore
As the state heads for a high-stakes assembly election later this year, the Bihar government has now intensified efforts to ramp up medical infrastructure, reaching out to beneficiaries of the Centre's flagship health insurance scheme so they don't have to go outside the state seeking treatment. The reason: Lack of quality health services, which led a high number of AB-PMJAY beneficiaries to avail the scheme's portability feature—allowing beneficiaries from one state to access healthcare in any other—and seek treatment in hospitals outside the state, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, among others. Patna/New Delhi: In the last financial year, the central and Bihar governments paid nearly a third of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) funds for the state, to facilities outside of it. In addition, efforts are on to provide medical facilities for complex cases within Bihar by tying up with a higher number of private health facilities under the scheme. The data shared by the Bihar health department shows that in 2024-25, the total spending on AB-PMJAY was Rs 1,010.38 crore, of which Rs 333 crore or 32.9 percent was spent through the portability feature. However, the national spending under the scheme's portability feature was just 2.8 percent or Rs 3,100 crore, out of a total Rs 1,07,125 crore spent overall under the scheme, but the government is trying every bit under AB-PMJAY till September 2024. Under AB-PMJAY—which is aimed at providing cashless hospitalisation worth up to Rs 5 lakh to the poorest and most vulnerable population through a network of empaneled hospitals—the Centre and state bear the cost of treatment in a 60:40 ratio. Sheshank Shekhar Sinha, chief executive officer of Bihar Swasthya Suraksha Samiti (BSSS), which oversees the implementation of AB-PMJAY in the state, said efforts were on to provide required medical care to patients closer to home. 'A large number of patients from Bihar have been going to places like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai for seeking care, but the government is trying every bit to strengthen specialty and superspeciality care in the state apart from primary health services,' he said. AIIMS, Patna, which is a centrally-run institute, was also being supported by the state government in every possible way, said Sinha, to emerge as a mega health hub in the state. Bihar Swasthya Suraksha Samiti figures show that in 2024-25, 145 hospitals had been onboarded under the scheme. An additional 100 hospitals—mostly private hospitals offering single or multi-specialty care—are in the pipeline to be empanelled under the scheme, according to Shailesh Chandra Diwakar, administrative officer with the BSSS. Since last year, according to details shared by the state government, authorities mapped all the registered hospitals in the state and districts and have been conducting field visits to assess potential empanelment readiness. According to the AB-PMJAY dashboard maintained by the National Health Authority—the agency under the Union Health Ministry responsible for the scheme's implementation—of the total 9.05 crore hospital admissions under the scheme since its 2018 launch, only 18 lakh admissions have involved patients from Bihar. For perspective, Tamil Nadu is among the states with the highest admissions, at over 1 crore. Also read: Why nearly dozen multi-speciality private hospitals in Delhi aren't too keen on AB-PMJAY empanelment Strong focus on beneficiary identification A key challenge, state government health officials said, has been relatively low awareness around AB-PMJAY. Initially, beneficiaries were based on the deprivation and occupational criteria of Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) for rural and urban areas, respectively, as per the central government norm. However, in 2024, the state decided to expand it to all those covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013, or all those with ration cards. Following this, a major drive has been initiated to create Ayushman cards for the estimated beneficiaries. This includes door-to-door campaigns by ASHA workers, whose incentives were revised from Rs 5 per card to Rs 15 per card; and the engagement of panchayati raj executive assistants for the purpose, apart from intensified awareness campaigns. A total of 2.83 crore Ayushman cards were created in 2024, Diwakar pointed out. The statistics shared by the state government also showed that the government spending on the scheme jumped from about Rs 307 crore in 2023-2024 to 1010.38 crore in the last fiscal. 'This is a remarkable rise and testament to our commitment to let the needy take utmost advantage of the scheme,' a government official said. Also while in 2023-24 the government had settled claims against 3.03 lakh hospital admissions in Bihar, in the next financial year, this number crossed 7.5 lakh hospital admissions. But some public health specialists underlined that the state needs to work harder on improving the referral and primary health care. 'A 10-year-old rape victim recently succumbed to her injuries due to delay in treatment at two leading medical colleges in Bihar,' Amulya Nidhi, national convenor of Jan Swasthya Abihyan, a group that advocates patients' rights, told ThePrint. Without improving the referral and primary health care, Ayushman cards won't be of much help, he stressed. The death of the 10-year-old Dalit girl from Muzaffarpur following her alleged rape by a neighbour, outside the Patna Medical College and Hospital—one of the state's biggest government-run tertiary care centres—as she waited in an ambulance for admission, had triggered national outrage. She was earlier reportedly denied treatment at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur. The episode, which took a political turn, saw the suspension of two senior doctors at these facilities by the state administration on charges of dereliction of duty. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Chirag targets Nitish over Muzaffarpur case, flags 'breakdown' in Bihar law & order, healthcare
