New Delhi, July 22: More than 34.7 crore Ayushman Bharat cards have been generated, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday, while tabling the Economic Survey document in Parliament today, a day ahead of the Union Budget announcement.

The scheme has also “covered 7.37 crore hospital admissions in India,” said FM Sitharaman.

Launched in 2018, the initiative encompasses two primary components: the establishment of Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) and the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) -- a scheme that extends health insurance coverage for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

“In healthcare, Ayushman Bharat is not only saving lives but also saving generations from the debt trap,” the Finance Minister said.

The HWCs ensure preventive, primitive, and some curative services with standardised quality at the lowest possible level, that is, sub-centre. It also ensures the strengthening of sub-centres with manpower and supplies.

PM-JAY, which provides insurance of Rs 5 lakh to people for healthcare services ensures equity-based reduction of out-of-pocket expenditure of people.

“Considering the multiplier effect of low costs, the scheme saves more than 1.25 lakh crore of out-of-pocket expenditure for poor and deprived families,” Sitharaman said.

She also stressed the challenge of ensuring mental health which is “intrinsically and economically valuable.”

The lack of it can not only lead to “significant productivity loss but also increase healthcare costs.”

She also called out against overusing smartphones and the Internet which “are associated with the great rewiring of childhood.”

The Economic Survey is prepared by the Economics Division of the Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry under the guidance of India's Chief Economic Advisor (CEA).

--IANS

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