In one year, PM-JAY has created a framework for comprehensive universal healthcare

Ayushman Bharat is a conscious attempt to holistically address health, encompassing prevention, promotion and ambulatory care at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, PMJAY, India health sector, Ayushman Bharat, PMJAY scheme, India healthcare system, PMJAY India healthcare, India health benefits, Indian express — Ayushman Bharat has provided a platform and framework for the country to accelerate its progress towards comprehensive universal health care. (Illustration by CR Sasikumar)

Nine year-old Shiv, suffering from a leaky heart valve, sobbed as his despondent father took him back home after being told by the doctor in Bihar that the surgery he required would cost Rs 3 lakh — more than what his father could possibly earn in three years. He got a new heart, and a new life at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences thanks to the timely and cashless treatment under Ayushman Bharat — the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). When Shah Mohammad, 50, got treated for a fractured jaw in Gurugram, he could not believe that he did not have to pay a single rupee as he walked out of the private hospital, an exclusive bastion of the wealthy in India thus far. Singri, a 38 year-old, got a new lease of life after a football-sized tumor was removed from his head. Carrying the tumor since his teenage years, he says that PM-JAY helped him become fit and an eligible bachelor in his village in Jharkhand. These are only some of the myriad stories of joy, hope and triumph that have played out over the last few months in the country.