“Ayushman Bharat is not just an incremental change, it is a quantum jump. We are on the cusp of a transformational change”, exclaimed Dr Vinod K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, while he spoke about the ambitious NHPS plan by the government. There are huge unmet healthcare needs in our country. The current government schemes cover only 15 per cent of our healthcare needs. Ayushman Bharat is an initiative to ensure that there needs of Indian citizens are met adequately, he informed.
Dr Paul also spoke on the opportunities for India. He said that the rate at which India’s young population is growing, we are on the brink of a huge growth opportunity. India has the potential to grow exponentially in the next 20-30 years. However, we need its population to be healthy in order to leverage it effectively. Ayushman Bharat is trying to drive a Jan Andolan in health, he maintained.
Explaining the vision of the scheme further, he said that Ayushman Bharat comprises measures to revolutionise primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare in India. By 2022, 50,000 health and wellness centres will be set up in the country to improve primary healthcare. A comprehensive family health plan with financial coverage of ` 5 lakhs for around 11 crore families will be instrumental in improving secondary and tertiary healthcare.
“Private and public sectors will need to collaborate in a big way to make Ayushman Bharat a success”, he said. Finally, talking about the role of the states in the scheme, he stated that the states have a right to choose the way they implement Ayushman Bharat. They can opt to create a trust model or partner with an insurance players. 21 states of the 25 who have signed up for Ayushman Bharat have opted for the trust model.
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