‘Ayushman Bharat’ has brought 6 crore citizens aged 70 and above under its coverage, and the Centre’s flagship health insurance programme now covers over 45 per cent of India’s population, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said on Saturday.
In October last year, the Union Cabinet approved health coverage for all citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of income, under the ‘Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (AB PM-JAY).
“Under Modi 3.0, we have added 6 crore people over 70 to Ayushman Bharat. Now, more than 62 crore people, or over 45 per cent of India’s population, are covered—not under health insurance, but under a ‘health assurance’ scheme with an annual coverage of Rs 5 lakh,” he said.
Speaking at the 'IIMA Healthcare Summit 2025', organised at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, he called the scheme a game changer and stated that it has benefited more than 4.2 crore citizens.
“These are poor people – rickshaw pullers, street vendors, bus drivers, conductors, lift men, security guards, barbers, shoemakers – who may never have thought about caring for their health,” Nadda said.
In its fight against tuberculosis (TB), India has seen a decline in the incidence rate of 17.7 per cent (from 237 per 1,00,000 population in 2015 to 195 per 1,00,000 population in 2023), which is more than double the global decline rate of 8.3 per cent, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the target of eliminating TB by 2025, and efforts are being made to accelerate this through the use of AI and handheld X-ray devices, the Union minister said.
As for affordable medicine, Nadda pointed out that India is fulfilling the demands of the US (46 per cent of bulk supply) and the UK (25 per cent), with medicines manufactured in India known for their efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
He highlighted the 2017 Health Policy, which was framed with a holistic approach focusing on prevention, promotion, curative care, palliative care, rehabilitation, and geriatric care.
“Before 2017, we only talked about tertiary, primary, and secondary healthcare, but never about holistic healthcare. Under the dynamic leadership of Modi, we now have 1.73 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the first contact point at the grassroots level for preventive and promotive healthcare,” he said.
The ‘Mother and Child Tracking System’ (MCTS), a web-based system that monitors and tracks pregnant women and children, has tracked more than 5 crore children and over 3 crore mothers for vaccination and other programmes, he added.
He also mentioned that Ayushman Arogya Mandir provides checkups for people aged 30 and above, so they can learn about their susceptibility to various diseases.
“We are trying to ensure that people get medical facilities and are checked accordingly at 30. This strengthens promotion and preventive healthcare,” he explained.
Up until 1998, India had only one AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences), which has now risen to 22 under the Modi government.
Highlighting improvements in medical education, Nadda noted that the number of medical colleges has risen to 776 from 381 in 2015. In total, 1.25 lakh medical seats (UG and PG) have been added to ensure a good workforce for the healthcare system.
India’s medical device market, currently valued at approximately $14 billion, is expected to grow to $30 billion by 2030, the minister added.
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