Parliament Question: Strengthening of Primary Health Services in Remote Areas

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 3318 TOBE ANSWERED ON07TH AUGUST,2026 STRENGTHENING OFPRIMARYHEALTH SERVICES IN REMOTE AREAS †3318.SHRICHINTAMANIMAHARAJ:

Will the Minister of HEALTHAND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleased tostate:

(a) whether there has been a significant increase in the number of beneficiaries, treatments and hospital admissions under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) inChhattisgarh, includingSurguja district andif so, the detailsthereof;

(b) whether special steps have been taken by the Union Government to strengthen primary healthcare services, screening, diagnostic services and health insurance coverage through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) in tribal and remote regions of the State, such as Surguja District andif so, the detailsthereof;

(c)the progress made underthe Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) andotherdigital healthinitiativestoexpandandintegratedigitalhealthservicesacross varioushealthschemes; and

(d) the major achievements of the scheme towards improving the availability of healthcare services, reducing out-of-pocket health expenditure for beneficiaries and achieving Universal HealthCoverage (UHC) intribal and rural areasof the country? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATEIN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE

(SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV)

(a) There has been a significant increase in the utilization of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in Chhattisgarh, including Surguja district. The number of Ayushman Cards created in the State increased from 3.18 lakh in FY 2018–19 to

14.52 lakh in FY 2025–26, while authorised hospital admissions increased from 3.42 lakh to

15.22 lakh during the same period, reflecting the growing outreach and utilization of the Schemebyeligible beneficiaries.

As on 31.07.2026, a total of 2.47 crore Ayushman Cards have been created in the State, including8.49 lakhAyushman Cards inSurguja district. Further, a totalof 93.17lakhhospital admissions have been authorized in Chhattisgarh, of which 2.93 lakh hospital admissions have beenauthorizedin Surgujadistrict.(b): Under National HealthMission, through 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM) in the country, (including 5898 in Chhattisgarh State and 218 in Sarguja district), comprehensive primary healthcare is provided by strengthening Sub Health Centres and Primary Health Centres. These AAM provide preventive, promotive, rehabilitative and curative care for an expanded range of services encompassing reproductive and child healthcare services, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and other health issues.

(c): The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was launched by the Government of India in September 2021 to support the development of an integrated, citizen-centric national digital health ecosystem. Several national health programme platforms, including AB-PMJAY, Nikshay, Reproductive and Child Health and Non-Communicable Disease are integrated with ABDM. In addition, various government and private Hospital Management Information System have also been integrated with ABDM, enabling these systems to create Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), create & share digital health records for seamless interoperability across the ecosystem. The progress of ABDM, ason 31.07.2026for

the countryisasunder:  ABHAcreatedfor citizens– 95.99 crore  HealthRecordLinkedtocitizen’sABHA– 107.55crore  Verified Healthcare Professionals on Healthcare Professional Registry –10.33lacs  Verified HealthFacilitieson HealthFacility Registry- 5.40lacs  Facilitiesusing ABDM-enabled software –2.76lacs

(d): AB-PMJAY has significantly improved access to quality secondary and tertiary healthcare services for eligible beneficiaries through a nationwide network of empanelled public and private hospitals. As on 31.07.2026, a total of 38,374 hospitals have been empanelledunderthe scheme,across the country.

Further, more than 12.69 crore hospital admissions, amounting to more than Rs. 1.92 lakh crore, have been authorized under the scheme, enabling eligible beneficiaries to avail cashless treatmentunderthe scheme.

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