Dr Dharminder Nagar, MD, Paras Healthcare stated, “The PMJAY is clearly a massive leap towards universal health coverage that could transform the healthcare landscape in India. We believe that digital infrastructure will be key to a seamless and transparent system of transacting the costs of drugs, diagnostics and therapeutic interventions.”
“We are keenly monitoring the operating models to be followed by empanelled hospitals and will continue to serve communities with the highest quality of care and commitment possible. We are happy to state that with the launch of Jan Arogya Yojna, Paras Healthcare has also become the part of the Prime Ministers’ vision of making India Healthier,” Nagar further added.
Ajoy Khandheria, Founder, Gramin Healthcare said, “The announcement of Jan Arogya Abhiyan is a landmark scheme and a much needed boost to India’s healthcare system. Till now at least 27 per cent people around the poverty line who could not have afforded healthcare would hit by the high cost of treatment. With a promise of a transparent, IT-enabled system, the initiative promises to benefit 50 crore plus population is indeed laudable. Another aspect that stands out is the integration of the wellness centers, the first pillar, with Ayushman Bharat, the second pillar government healthcare delivery. As a provider of healthcare delivery at a village level through an IT enabled health card system, which includes access to secondary care and tertiary care with a network of service providers, it is interesting for us to note that how close and complimentary Jan Arogya Abhiyan and Gramin Health Care is to each other.”
“Both our models drive cost effectiveness and scalable institutional by providing volumes to private healthcare enterprises and at the same time benefit the masses with affordable healthcare. While our system is supported by private organisations, the Jan Arogya initiative will be funded 60 per cent by the central government. Till now individual private hospitals are becoming a part of the Prime Minister’s initiative, as the initiative stabilises after launch, we expect the growing world of Gramin Health Care will be recognised as an important partner to the government’s Ayushman Bharat initiative, “added Khandheria.
Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and Director, Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) commented on this initiative, ” The announcement of this scheme is huge for the country, especially the less privileged sections of the country. The world might not have seen a programme that covers such a large number of people on the planet. However, this kind of programme will need great leadership and management capabilities of people at various levels of government, quasi-government and non-government organizations for effective implementation and for it to truly benefit ever last citizen in this country. And, this is the big challenge.”
Sharing her insights on this, Meena Ganesh, MD & CEO, Portea Medical said, “The launch of Ayushman Bharat is set to transform the healthcare landscape in India. This comes at a time when healthcare and ensuring access to it is being accorded top priority in the country. Given that the population of elderly is set to skyrocket in the coming years – with a good number falling in the below poverty line category – this scheme will benefit those who are largely neglected. Coverage of secondary and tertiary hospitalization expenses for about 40 per cent of the country’s lower-middle-class population is a very prudent move. It will save out-of-pocket expenses for many and ensure that they get the same quality of care albeit at a subsidised rate.”
“With healthcare delivery to a majority of the country’s people now under the reigns of the government, there will be standardisation of processes across the sector, particularly in the rural areas. Preventive health and wellness have taken the center stage, throwing open newer avenues for companies like Portea, especially with regard to service delivery in the rural belt and for the marginalized segment. By improving standards of care in largely unorganized pockets of the country, Ayushman Bharat will revolutionise healthcare delivery in the days to come,” she added.
Rekuram Varadharaj, Co-founder and COO, healthi discusses the advantages of the scheme, “The launch of Ayushman Bharat by the Indian government is a welcome move on two fronts. One is the preventive aspect. Indians have a genetic predisposition towards chronic diseases Nearly 61 per cent of deaths in India are now attributed to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including heart disorders, cancer, and diabetes according to data by the World Health Organisation. This scheme opens a huge opportunity to nip these in the bud. It will now become possible to screen for these and other NCDs in all men and women over the age of 30 years as part of the Ayushman Bharat’s Comprehensive Primary Healthcare (CPHC) initiative.”
“The second aspect is accessibility and affordability to preventive care. The 5-lakh cover for nearly 10 crore families will enable them to avail predictive and preventive care where previously their lack of resources and apprehensiveness caused submission and negligence. While this is welcome, outcomes are driven by users seeking help in time and following appropriate changes that physicians prescribe. Doing so will require a personalized and data-driven approach to health. This is something that healthi focuses on and excels in. We will explore extending this to the rural population also going forward,” he concluded.
“The scheme will bring in the much needed revolutionary change to healthcare in India. We wholeheartedly welcome this laudable development and congratulate the Prime Minister. This will surely transform the entire healthcare ecosystem. A healthy nation is what will make our country prosperous.” said Anuj Gulati, MD and CEO, Religare Health Insurance.
Dr Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals shared her views, “The launch of Ayushman Bharat marks a red letter day in the history of Indian healthcare. Never before have we seen a scheme of such ambitious scale, the first phase of which targets health cover for over 50 crore individuals. We look forward to support the government in this endeavour as the scheme rolls out with the promise of giving succour to millions of patients who would otherwise not have been able to afford or access the treatment required.”
Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, also from Apollo Hospitals expressed her opinion on the initiative, ” The world’s biggest and most ambitious health coverage scheme has been set in motion. The scheme with 1350 procedures covering pre and post hospitalization, diagnostics, medicines packages, including coronary bypass, knee replacements and stenting will be at rates 15-20 per cent cheaper rates than the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). While the jury is still out on the viability of the costs for private providers especially large multi-specialty hospitals which incur high infrastructure and operating costs, make substantial investments in modern medical technology, in attracting and retaining the best clinical talent and in securing gold standard accreditation, there is no doubt that a beginning has to be made.”
Prasun Sikdar, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Cigna TTK Health Insurance company, commented, “The roll-out of Ayushman Bharat sends a strong signal that the government is duly recognizing the importance of healthcare in country’s economic development. This scheme will address issues of inadequate insurance and low penetration in the near term, while it would drive product innovation in the medium term, and in long term the scheme could change the way in which healthcare is consumed, it will also strengthen and standardise the healthcare provider market. The health insurance premium rates for Ayushman Bharat are likely to been determined on several factors including how the scheme is designed to control fraud and abuse, among others. We believe besides addressing the challenges of geographic inaccessibility and unaffordability, Ayushman Bharat has the potential of creating a cost-effective digitalised health economy and catapulting India to the league of developed nations. There is increasing awareness that it is unsustainable for a country of 1.3 billion people to rely on household savings to pay for health care.”
Shreeraj Deshpande, Head, Health Insurance, Future Generali India Insurance said, “The scheme is a very ambitious scheme and would be the largest state sponsored scheme in the world. The success of this scheme would depend upon the effective implementation of this scheme. This scheme would definitely increase awareness among the population and help set in some standards of care especially in rural areas.”
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