Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given us the mantra of New India. An India that is developed and self-reliant. With his policies and programs, PM Modi has not only carved out the contours of a Viksit and an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, but has also enriched this vision with Indian ethos and global aspirations.
A Swastha Bharat is at the heart of a Viksit and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Strengthening this crucial link, PM Modi has dedicated to the nation the 10,000th Jan Aushadhi Kendra at AIIMS, Deoghar, Jharkhand.
Jan Aushadhi Kendras - From 10,000 Today to Target 25,000 Nationwide
PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras are integral to PM Modi’s vision of Healthcare for All. With an objective of ensuring access and affordability of high-quality medicines, these Kendras offer critical medicines at 50-90% cheaper prices, leading to nearly Rs. 23,000 crores in savings for citizens. This has significantly reduced the overall out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare, which has declined from 62.6% to 47.1%. Increasing accessibility, the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras has seen an exponential rise from a mere 80 in 2014 to 10,000 today. Going forward, the government is now looking at an ambitious target of 25,000 Kendras.
Ayushman Card: ‘Only Modi Can Give You a Guarantee Of Rs 5 Lakh’
Along with the Jan Aushadhi Kendras, formidable schemes like the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana have also contributed significantly towards ensuring a financial safety net and ensuring universal healthcare coverage for citizens. Touted as the world’s largest health protection scheme, AB-PMJAY provides health coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per beneficiary family per annum to over 60 crore beneficiaries. The financial protection offered by the scheme acts as a shield against the economic hardships that accompany unforeseen health emergencies, serving essentially as a lifeline to the common man.
Ayushman Arogya Mandir: Beyond Healthcare, Nurturing Wellness
Augmenting the focus of healthcare from curative to preventive and promotive care are the Ayushman Arogya Mandir or Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres. Marking a shift from selective care to offering a gamut of services, these centers are designed to provide need-based services ranging from maternal and child care to non-communicable diseases. Free essential drugs and diagnostic services along with teleconsultation and wellness services are provided free of cost to all citizens through these centers. Today over 1.60 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers (AB- HWCs) are operational across India.
Revolutionizing Healthcare: India's Striking Progress in Medical Education, Infrastructure, and Digital Innovation
In terms of improving medical education and infrastructure, India is making decisive strides. Over the past nine years, the number of medical colleges has increased by over 70%, from a mere 387 in 2014 to 660 in 2023. The number of AIIMS hospitals in the country have also increased from 8 to 23. The number of MBBS seats have increased to over 1.1 lakh from 51,000, and PG seats to more than 65,000 from 31,000 before 2014.
In addition, PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was launched by the Modi government with a funding of Rs.64,180 crore to effectively deal with pandemics/disasters. It focusses on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across levels—primary, secondary and tertiary.
PM Modi is well known for his inclination towards using technology to deliver inclusive governance. His government has leveraged the power of information and communications technology (ICT) creating digital platforms that can be accessed by the poorest sections of the country. We have been a witness to the government’s digital push especially during COVID-19 where India rolled out platforms like CoWin and Aarogya Setu with ease on a mass scale.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) acts as the backbone of the integrated digital health infrastructure, introducing unique initiatives like Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) health ID, Unified Health Interface, Healthcare Professionals Registry and Health Facility Registry. Today more than 45 crore ABHA IDs have been created, over 2.19 lakh health facilities have been registered, and around 2.28 lakh healthcare professionals have been on boarded under ABDM.
This digital revolution in healthcare is further energized by Modi government’s tele-consultations services like eSanjeevani, which enables remote diagnosis and treatment of medical issues, along with a vibrant health tech start-up ecosystem.
Unique initiatives such as this mark a significant departure from strategies prevalent before 2014. PM Modi’s government has successfully created a more comprehensive and integrated healthcare system in India, making healthcare a national priority.
NaMo Drone Didis Take Flight!
Today, along with the 10,000th Jan Aushadhi Kendra, Prime Minister Modi has also launched the PM Mahila Kisan Drone Kendra. In line with his vision of women-led development, the Kendra will provide 15,000 drones to women through self-help groups over a period of three years. Women will be provided with adequate training to fly and use drones, effectively becoming ‘NaMo Drone Didis’. This initiative is aimed at providing alternate modes of earning for women, furthering PM Modi’s goal of empowering 2 crore Lakhpati Didis.
Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra – A Resolve of 100% Saturation for a Developed India
These initiatives align with Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’s four Amrit Stambhs—Nari Shakti, Annadata, Yuvashakti and Middle Class & Poor. From Ujjwala, Har Ghar Jal to PM Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat, the PM Modi government has dedicatedly worked towards the ideal of a Viksit Bharat. The PM is taking this ideal to his janta janardan via the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra or Modi ki Guarantee Wali Gaadi. The Yatra aims to reach the last mile, and educate them about a variety of government schemes, leading to their 100% saturation. Looking to cover 2.55 lakh Gram Panchayats and 3,600 urban local bodies by January 25, 2024, this initiative is in a way Modi’s guarantee to the poor of this country, to our mothers and sisters, to the farmers and the youth of this country.
The yatra is yet again a reminder that PM Modi’s India will be a developed India saturated with basic amenities of life, where services reach everyone directly eliminating the middle men, where people repose their trust in the government, where public policy is not paralyzed by vote bank politics, where the government works with a spirit of Seva, and where the common man dares to dream, actively contributing to building the aspirational India we all desire.
As the PM said, the enthusiasm for a Viksit and Aatmanirbhar Bharat is palpable in the mood of the nation today as the youth, the farmers, and the rural folk share their stories on the NaMo App. The PM has encouraged each one of us to be a bhagidar in India’s growth story even as we share our tales of trial and triumph.
