Centre reviews Ayushman Bharat rollout, unveils new health reforms

Addressing the gathering, Jadhav described AB PM-JAY as a scheme built on the principle of Antyodaya, ensuring quality healthcare reaches the poorest and most vulnerable sections of society.

The National Health Authority (NHA) has begun a two-day national review meeting to assess the progress of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), with a strong focus on expanding healthcare access, strengthening digital services and improving programme implementation across the country.

The Chintan Shivir, being held at Madhya Pradesh Bhawan in New Delhi, brings together senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Health Authority and representatives from States and Union Territories to review achievements, address implementation challenges and set priorities for the next phase of healthcare reforms.

NHA releases annual report and implementation guides

The meeting was inaugurated by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav, who released the National Health Authority's Annual Report along with operational guidelines covering District Implementation Units, Beneficiary Empowerment and Hospital Empanelment.

Addressing the gathering, Jadhav described AB PM-JAY as a scheme built on the principle of Antyodaya, ensuring quality healthcare reaches the poorest and most vulnerable sections of society. He said the scheme has provided cashless treatment worth more than ₹1.91 lakh crore through a network of over 37,000 empanelled hospitals, making it the world's largest government-funded health assurance programme.

The Minister also highlighted the progress of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, noting that more than 94 crore ABHA numbers have been created and over 100 crore digital health records have been linked. He said the next phase of ABDM should focus on making healthcare more accessible through seamless sharing of medical records, easier discovery of nearby health facilities and stronger integration with AB PM-JAY.

Focus on digital healthcare and AI-driven reforms

National Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal said the review meeting continues the Chintan Shivir series launched in October 2025 to help States share best practices and resolve implementation challenges.

He said the digital infrastructure created under AB PM-JAY and ABDM has enabled consistent implementation across India's diverse healthcare landscape. Dr Barnwal also encouraged States to strengthen data analytics and use emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to improve healthcare delivery and evidence-based policymaking.

He highlighted several citizen-focused digital initiatives, including the upgraded Ayushman App, Aarogya Setu 2.0, Ayushman Sarathi, the National Drug Registry, the Unified Health Interface (UHI) and the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX), which are expected to make digital health services more accessible and efficient.

States discuss programme expansion and stronger governance

The review meeting assessed progress made since the previous Chintan Shivir, covering beneficiary enrolment, hospital empanelment, claims management, service delivery and implementation of earlier recommendations.

Discussions focused on expanding Ayushman Card generation, enrolling ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and Anganwadi helpers, accelerating the rollout of the Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana, strengthening fraud detection through the National Anti-Fraud Unit and improving claims processing using an upgraded Auto-Adjudication Engine.

Officials also reviewed plans to introduce planned pre-authorisation for selected medical procedures, strengthen digital health interoperability through the National Health Claims Exchange and improve integration between AB PM-JAY and other government health schemes.

The first day concluded with a presentation by AIIMS New Delhi on the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS), demonstrating how artificial intelligence can support evidence-based clinical decisions and improve healthcare delivery. The discussions will continue on 18 July with sessions on health financing, innovation, digital health adoption and programme implementation.