Does India Have Free Healthcare and What Is the Current Status

India's public healthcare system is a complex and multifaceted entity. The government has implemented various initiatives to provide free or subsidized healthcare to its citizens.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme, launched in 2018, aims to provide health insurance coverage to over 100 million vulnerable families. This includes hospitalization expenses up to ₹5 lakhs per family per year.

However, the availability and quality of free healthcare in India vary greatly depending on the location and type of treatment needed.

Additional reading: Should the Government Provide Free Healthcare

India has a government healthcare scheme called Ayushman Bharat, which aims to provide universal health coverage to its citizens. Launched in 2018, it's the largest health assurance scheme in the world, covering over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families.

The scheme provides an annual health coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. This is a significant amount, considering the average cost of hospitalization in India.

Broaden your view: History of Managed Care Organization

Ayushman Bharat has three modes of implementation: Trust mode, Insurance mode, and Hybrid mode. Most states have adopted the Trust mode, which caters to 63.9% of the beneficiaries in India.

As of March 2023, over 21 crore Ayushman Bharat cards have been created, and 28,561 hospitals are empanelled under the scheme. This is a remarkable achievement, considering the scheme's goal of providing access to comprehensive healthcare to all.

The most popular services availed under Ayushman Bharat are General Medicine (40%) and services for Infectious Diseases (15.7%). Hemodialysis is the most popular procedure undertaken, accounting for ~40.5% of all procedures.

The scheme has been successful in increasing hospital admissions, with ~4.46 crore hospital admissions as of March 2023. This is a significant increase from the previous years, indicating the scheme's effectiveness in providing access to healthcare.

Here's a breakdown of the states with the highest hospital admissions per 100 Ayushman Bharat cards:

These states have a higher awareness of the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, leading to higher hospital admissions.

India has made significant strides in strengthening its healthcare infrastructure with the launch of the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) on 25 October, 2021.

The mission has been provided with an outlay of about Rs. 64,180 crores till FY 2025-26.

This is the largest pan-India scheme aimed at developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the country.

The measures under the scheme focus on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels viz. primary, secondary and tertiary.

Preparing health systems for effective response to current and future pandemics/disasters is also a key aspect of the mission.

Setting up the 4 pillars of the scheme has paved the path to an underlying commitment of India’s goal for SDG 3 to “leave no one behind”.

In India, universal access to healthcare is a constitutional right, as stated in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The government has made efforts to increase healthcare accessibility, but there are still many challenges to overcome.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme, launched in 2018, provides health insurance coverage to over 10 crore families, covering more than 50 crore individuals. This scheme aims to provide financial protection to vulnerable families against catastrophic health expenses.

However, despite these efforts, many Indians still lack access to quality healthcare, particularly in rural areas. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-21, only 22% of rural households have access to a functional toilet, let alone a well-equipped hospital.

The government's Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (ABHW) initiative aims to establish 1.5 lakh health and wellness centers across the country by 2024. These centers will provide essential primary healthcare services, including preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative services.

Despite the progress made, India still has a long way to go in ensuring universal access to healthcare. The country's healthcare system is plagued by issues such as inadequate infrastructure, shortage of healthcare professionals, and poor quality of care.

In 2021, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was announced with a budget of Rs. 1,600 crore for five years.

The mission aims to develop the backbone to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country, creating a secure online platform based on open, interoperable digital standards.

A key part of the ABDM is the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Dashboard and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Dashboard, which are two important tools for tracking and managing the program.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is designed to be a secure online platform, based on open and interoperable digital standards, to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country.

Related reading: Online Healthcare Companies

The government of India has a flagship health scheme called Ayushman Bharat, which was launched to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

This scheme was recommended by the National Health Policy 2017 and aims to provide health insurance coverage to over 10 crore families in India.

The World Health Organization observed World Health Day on April 7th, and the theme for 2023 was "Health for All", emphasizing the importance of accessible healthcare for all.

Ayushman Bharat has been launched to serve the vulnerable and promote health and safety, aligning with the World Health Organization's goals.

The government has committed to "leaving no one behind" as part of its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.

The Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was launched on October 25, 2021, with an outlay of Rs. 64,180 crores till FY 2025-26.

This mission aims to strengthen healthcare infrastructure across the country by developing capacities of health systems and institutions.

The mission focuses on preparing health systems for effective response to current and future pandemics/disasters, ensuring that every rural beneficiary is covered and benefited from the scheme.

India has a complex healthcare system, and the financial aspects of it are a major concern for many citizens. The government spends around 2.2% of its GDP on healthcare, which is one of the lowest in the world.

Private healthcare facilities in India are expensive, with a single MRI scan costing up to ₹50,000. This makes healthcare unaffordable for many people.

The government has introduced schemes like Ayushman Bharat to provide health insurance coverage to over 100 million poor families. This scheme has a coverage limit of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year.

However, the out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare in India is still high, with 70% of the country's population relying on private healthcare services.