The Modi government has made gigantic strides in healthcare since 2014, focusing on expanding access to medical services, improving medical infrastructure and percolating healthcare to all the crevices of the country through the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, which is the largest healthcare programme in the world.
This programme, launched in 2018, by PM Modi, consists of the two major components: The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and the Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) initiative. PM-JAY provides for free health coverage of up to Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year to the economically disadvantaged families.
Nearly 500 million people have been benefited by this scheme especially those in the lowest socio-economic strata. Beneficiaries can access secondary and tertiary healthcare services at empaneled public and private hospitals across India. This scheme reduces out of pocket expenses which historically been a significant burden for India’s poor, often driving families into the vortex of debt. The reach of these services is expanding thus addressing both accessibility and affordability. The second part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme is the establishment of 150000 HWCs across the country. These centres are designed to provide primary healthcare services to rural and remote populations with a focus on preventive, promotive and curative healthcare. HWCs provide a range of services including screenings for non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health services, vaccinations and treatment for communicable diseases.
By focusing on primary healthcare, the government aims to reduce the stress on secondary and tertiary hospitals, promote early detection of diseases and widen the healthcare network service HWCs are also equipped with trained staff, diagnostic equipment and essential drugs. The aim of the Modi government has been to increase public healthcare expenditure from 1.5% to 2.5% of the GDP, reduce maternal mortality and infant mortality rates and address non-communicable diseases.
The National Health Policy 2017 has advocated for a “continuum of care” approach which includes preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare services.
Apart from these, Mission Indradhanush was launched in 2014, as an immunization initiative aimed at increasing vaccine coverage for children and pregnant women, particularly in areas with low immunization rates especially in the underserved and hard-to-reach areas. In 2017, the Modi government launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) to focus on 190 districts identified as having low immunization coverage. The IMI program aimed at achieving at least 90% full immunization coverage across India. By focusing on these areas, the government addressed regional disparities in healthcare access assuring that more children are protected against life threatening diseases.
In addition to the above, the Swachh Bharat Mission has had a major impact on public health. The Swachh Bharat Mission aims to eliminate open defection and improve sanitation across India by building toilets in rural and urban areas. Improved sanitation has led to reduction in the spread of infectious diseases, particularly diarrhea diseases which have been a leading cause of child mortality in India.
Announced in 2021, the PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PMASB) is aimed at strengthening the health infrastructure across the country. PMASBY focuses on creating a self-reliant healthcare system that can handle public health emergencies and pandemics like COVID-19. The object of this scheme is to establish new public health laboratories, expand critical care hospital blocks in districts and develop a comprehensive surveillance system for detecting and responding to emerging health threats, strengthening diagnostic and treatment facilities for communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases alike, reducing regional disparities and improving the resilience of India’s health system against future pandemics.
The Modi Government has increased its efforts to digitize health care through the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) which aims to create a digital health ecosystem that enables individuals to have digital IDs and linking their health records to create a comprehensive history of their medical treatment. This digital ecosystem will improve the efficiency of healthcare services and streamline patient data management.
The e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform offers online medical consultation and enables people in rural and remote areas to access medical advice. PM Bhartiya Janaushadhi Scheme (PMBJP) aims to provide affordable generic medicines to the public. Free Dialysis Services are being provided under the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme. The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) offers free antenatal care to pregnant women to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
The great achievement of PM Modi was the deft and patriotic manner in which he led and guided the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. All conceivable measures were taken proactively to ensure the effective containment of the pandemic like graded lockdown measures, increasing the network of COVID hospitals, ramping up testing capabilities and ensuring supplies of PPE kits, ventilators and oxygen cylinders. India’s commitment towards the global community, highlighted several times by PM Modi’s assertion of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, as a guiding principle for our foreign policy, took shape in the most profound form in the “Vaccine Maitri” campaign. India had the largest vaccination programme in the world with 2.2 billion doses administered and, as the “pharmacy of the world”, supplied medical equipment, pharma products and vaccines to several countries, saving millions of lives across the world.
Now the Modi Government has worked tirelessly to establish new medical colleges and institutions like AIIMS etc. The PM’s launching of health insurance coverage for all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of income, will be a great boon for all elderly people of India.
All these measures reflect the commitment of a determined government to ensure accessible, affordable and quality healthcare. The government’s focus on infrastructure, preventive care, digital care and affordable medicine has totally reshaped India’s healthcare landscape.
The author is a former Chairman, Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission. His views are personal.