Lok Sabha Question No. 1247 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-06
Subject: Impact of PM-ABHIM on Rural Health Access
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1247 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 06.02.2026

## IMPACTOFPM-ABHIM ON RURALHEALTH ACCESS

## 1247. DR. PRABHA MALLIKARJUN:

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

- (a) the current status of availability of doctors, specialists, nurses and diagnostic services in Rural Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres in the country;
- (b) whether the Government has assessed the impact of Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission on rural health access and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to expand telemedicine, mobile medical units and digital health services in remote areas of the country; and
- (d) whether any State or district-level gaps have been identified and if so, the details thereof along with the corrective measures proposed in this regard?

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

(a) to (d): The details of doctors, specialists, nurses in Rural Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres in the country are available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the following link of Health Dynamics of India (HDI) 2022-23: https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Health%20Dynamics%20of%20India%20%28Infrastr ucture%20%26%20Human%20Resources%29%202022-23\_RE%20%281%29.pdf

PM-ABHIM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with some Central Sector Components (CS) which has an outlay of Rs. 64,180 Crores for the scheme period (2021-22 to 2025-26). The scheme envisages a new generation of reforms to integrate and strengthen health service delivery and public health action including health research so that the communities are Atmanirbhar in managing such pandemics or health crisis. The measures under the scheme are aimed at strengthening health systems and institutions in order to provide a continuum of care at all levels, namely primary, secondary, and tertiary, as well as preparing health systems to respond effectively to current and future pandemics and disasters.

The impact of the PM-ABHIM on health service availability and access, including in rural and underserved areas, has been assessed based on a review of the Mission's progress and outcomes. This assessment includes findings from the evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes of the Health Sector conducted by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, under Package-7.

The assessment indicates that PM-ABHIM is a highly relevant and equity-oriented intervention aimed at addressing critical gaps in public health infrastructure.

The assessment further notes that PM-ABHIM represents a transformative step towards strengthening the public health system, with a focus on improving the availability and accessibility of essential health services at the district and block levels. The Mission complements existing health programmes and contributes to building a more resilient and responsive health system for rural and remote areas.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aims to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country. It will bridge the existing gap amongst different stakeholders of healthcare ecosystem through digital highways. Under the ABDM, specific measures have been instituted to ensure data quality, patient consent, and interoperability in the digital health ecosystem.

Additionally, digital platforms such as e-Sanjeevani platform to provide teleconsultation services to strengthen digital healthcare and improve accessibility especially in rural and underserved areas.The teleconsultation services, available at all operational AAMs across the country including rural areas, enables people to access the specialist services closer to their homes addressing concerns of physical accessibility, shortage of service providers and to facilitate continuum of care.

Under the National Health Mission (NHM), states receive support for deploying Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) especially for populations in remote, hard-to-reach, underserved, and unserved areas to improve access to public healthcare. A total of 1,498 MMUs are supported under NHM to the States.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched an open-source toolkit and a dashboard under Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS). The IPHS Dashboard is a cuttingedge digital platform designed to monitor public health facilities' compliance with the IPHS 2022 standards. These tools help states identify gaps and receive targeted support to achieve the required standards and facilitate timely interventions.

The HMIS portal enables real-time report generation at State, District and below levels. The concerned stakeholders of the States/UTs can generate district level reports from HMIS and analyse key performance indicators of CHCs and PHCs.

*****