Lok Sabha Question No. 3247 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-08
Subject: Effectiveness of Ayushman Bharat at Grassroots Level
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Jugal Kishore, Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva, Shri Dileshwar Kamait, Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Shri Pradeep Kumar Singh, Shri Karan Bhushan Singh, Smt. Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3247 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2025

## EFFECTIVENESS OF AYUSHMAN BHARAT AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL

## 3247. SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN:

SMT. POONAMBEN HEMATBHAI MAADAM:

SHRI PRADEEPKUMAR SINGH:

SHRI JASHUBHAI BHILUBHAI RATHVA:

SHRI DILESHWAR KAMAIT:

SHRI JUGALKISHORE:

SHRI KARAN BHUSHAN SINGH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the specific measures undertaken by the Government to enhance the capacity of health administrators, ASHA workers and community health workers in the country as emphasized during the Civil Services Day session;
- (b) the model implemented by the Ministry for digital health intervention across all States in the country particularly in Jammu and Kashmir;
- (c) whether the Ministry has conducted any impact assessments or surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of Ayushman Bharat initiatives at the grassroots level particularly in Jammu and Kashmir; and
- (d) if so, the key findings of such assessments and the manner in which the said outcomes contributes to policy-making decisions?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a): The training of Health administrators, ASHAs and community health workers is critical in enhancing their credibility in the community and effectiveness to achieve the desired healthcare outcomes through building knowledge and skills. Training helps workforce to effectively deliver their multiple role as a facilitator, community level health care provider, and health activist.

ASHAs are now part of Ayushman Arogya Mandir Team delivering comprehensive primary health care, hence training on expanded new packages has been initiated. A cascade model of the training has been adopted for capacity building of ASHAs, wherein national trainers train the State trainers, who further train the district/block level trainers or ASHAs.

Under NHM program various National Training and Regional Workshops are organized for Health administrators and Program officers like Regional Training Workshops held in Shillong, Srinagar, Vijaywada and Jodhpur during FY 2024-25. Further, National Best Practices Summit was held in Puri, Odisha, National Workshop on NCD in Hyderabad and National Workshop on Sickle Cell Anaemia in Bhopal.

Training for Healthcare workforce and frontline health workers is regularly organized and planned in a cascade model. Further, trainings are also organized and conducted by States/UTs through its own funds.

(b): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launche various digital initiatives. One of the major initiative is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM ), it was launched in September 2021. ABDM aims to create an online platform enabling interoperability of health data within the health ecosystem. The aim of this mission is to create an Electronic Health Record (EHR) of every citizen. ABDM envisages to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country. The core components of the Mission include Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) for citizens, Health Professional Registry (HPR), Health Facility Registry (HFR) and ABHA Application. The digital health ecosystem created by ABDM supports continuity of care across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare in a seamless manner.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has further rolled out Telemedicine services as a policy intervention under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat Scheme through eSanjeevani(National Telemedicine Service). eSanjeevani is a significant step toward digital health equity, aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It is implemented in two variants: (i) eSanjeevani AB-HWC / Ayushman Arogya Mandira provider-to-provider telemedicine platform, developed in 2019 and (ii) eSanjeevani OPD- a patient-to-provider telemedicine platform, developed in 2020.

(c) & (d): A baseline study was commissioned by the Government of India in 2019-2020 to understand the impact of AB-PMJAY. The study inter-alia recommended strategies to increase awareness of the scheme, addressing barriers in accessing healthcare services to ensure that beneficiaries receive specialized care timely, replicating experiences from other settings like dedicated staff to guide and assist beneficiaries, establishing communication and feedback channels to allow beneficiaries to voice their concerns. In alignment with recommendations of the study, NHA launched awareness campaigns. Dedicated personal know as Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras (PMAMs) are deployed at empanelled hospitals to guide beneficiaries and facilities access to services. PMJAY kiosks have also been installed at hospitals as the first point of contact, facilitating awareness and overall support. A national helpline number 14555 also provide assistance and addresses all queries related to the scheme.

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