Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the anniversary of government's cashless health insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) said it had been a year of learning.

"That we are running it with success is the dedication of states, private and public hospitals. Even if someone's land, jewellery, or savings have been saved from being pawned in the process it is a big victory for the scheme," said Modi addressing the beneficiaries from across India,

He further said that over the past two days, various states had shared best practices ranging from quality to capacity building in achieving universal healthcare and that those experiences should be emulated.

"In difficult times, for every Indian, hospital doors should remain open. We have to strive towards this," he said.

Modi said that while different states were running their schemes, without portability under PM-JAY 50,000 patients would not have been able to benefit in a state different from where they hail.

"No body wants to go far from their land to seek care, but patients have to under duress," he said.

Job creation

Modi claimed that according to an estimate within five to seven years, PM-JAY could generate upto 11 lakh jobs.

On the way forward he said that we need more technical solutions for integrating various components from health and wellness centres in villages to operation theatres of big hospitals, dialysis services, appropriate follow up care and crucial health data for a referral.

National Health Authority CEO Indu Bhushan said that states like Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala which had better e-card distribution had received a good number of response from beneficiaries. "In aspirational districts which are the poorest the uptake was the least because of low awareness," said Bhushan.

Bhushan also pressed door a need to integrate other central insurance schemes of the Indian Railways, Central Government Health Services, Employment State Insurance Corporation and so on to prevent overlap of beneficiaries.

Modi also launched a mobile app which gives information on nearest empanelled hospitals, where beneficiaries can lodge grievances and even access procedures and rates on the phone. He also gave a clarion call to start-ups to participate in the Start Up Grand Challenge which looks at seven solutions including those for how to maximise awareness, enhance quality and security of data, leverage artificial intelligence for fraud control.

In one year, 47 lakh patients have accrued benefits from PM-JAY.

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