PM Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Project

Objective

To lower the amount that citizens spend on medicine. Supplying affordable generic pharmaceutical and surgical supplies (Up to 50% - 90% lower than market rates) as well as job opportunities.

• Until march 31, 2022 over 8700 Janaushadi Kendras have been established in the Country.
• Except for lab Reagents, the scheme covers nearly 1600 pharmaceuticals and 250 surgical goods, including all drugs in the list of National Essential medicines.
• Approximately 1.25 crore people buy medicines every month.
• Sanitary pads are being sold for 1 per pad under the scheme.

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY

Context

Merging between Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and National Health Authority (NHA).

 Key points

• It will create an ecosystem wherein ESI beneficiaries will be able to access services at ABPM-JAY empanelled Hospitals and vice-versa.
• It is a landmark initiative for the development of health systems in the country.
• This will strengthen quality service providers under PM-JAY alongside fixed health benefits packages, thereby standardising services across schemes.
• It will ensure better medical care to the ESI beneficiaries besides curtailing expenditure borne by them for getting medical care services in the absence of ESIC health care delivery institution in their vicinity.
• It will create higher demand for health services at ESIC empanelled hospitals that may be currently underutilised.
• In the initial phase, a pilot was conducted in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra and Bidar, Karnataka.
• It has been extended to 113 designated districts of four states I,e. Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

 Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) 

• It is a flagship scheme of the Government of India.
• It was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage.
• To meet Sustainable Development Goals and its underlining commitment which is to "LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND".
• It approaches health service delivery as a comprehensive need-based health care service.
• To aim to cover prevention, promotion and ambulatory care at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

 It adopts a continuum of care approach, comprising two interrelated components.

• Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs).
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

Health and Wellness Centers

 In February 2018, The government of India announced the creation of 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centers by transforming the existing Sub Centers and Primary Health Centers.

To establish Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) system, ensuring bringing healthcare closer to the homes of people.

 They cover both, maternal and child health services and non-communicable diseases, including free essential drugs and diagnostic services.

 Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)

 It is popularly known as Ayushman Bharat.

 This scheme was launched on 23rd September 2018 in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

 It is the largest health assurance scheme in the world.

 It aims at providing a health cover of five lakh rupees for a family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10.74 crores of poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) that form the bottom 40 per cent of the Indian population. 

It was earlier known as the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) before being renamed.

 It is fully funded by the Government and the cost of implementation is shared between the Central and State Governments.

Key Features of PM-JAY

• It provides cashless access to health care services for the beneficiary at the point of service.
• It envisions to help mitigate catastrophically expenditure on medical treatment which pushes nearly 6 crore Indians into poverty each year.
• It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days of post-hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines.
• There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
• All pre-existing conditions are covered from day one.
• Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country i.e. a beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail of cashless treatment.
• services include approximately 1,393 procedures covering all the costs related to treatment, including but not limited to drugs, supplies, diagnostic services, physician's fees, room charges, surgeon charges, OT and ICU charges etc.
• Public hospitals are reimbursed for the healthcare services at par with private hospitals.

 e-Sanjeevani AB-HWC

Context: Ayushman Bharat Wellness Centres have crossed a landmark milestone in their mission of providing quality healthcare services near the communities.

About e-Sanjeevani AB-HWC

• It is to provide general and specialised health services in rural areas and isolated communities.
• It is a Doctor to Doctor telemedicine service under the Ayushman Bharat-Health and wellness centre scheme of the Government of India.
• Doctor-to-Doctor telemedicine service is based on a Hub-and-Spoke Model.
• e-Sanjeevani AB-HWC enables virtual connection between the beneficiary(along with a paramedic and a generalist) at the spoke i.e HWC and doctor/specialist at the hub (tertiary healthcare facility/hospital/medical college).
• It facilitates virtual consultation with doctors & specialists at the hub with the beneficiary through paramedics at the spoke.
• The e-Prescription generated at the session end is used for obtaining medicines.
• It is operational at more than 80,000 Health & wellness centres.
• esanjeevaniOPD is a patient-to-doctor telemedicine service to enable people to get outpatient services in the confines of their homes.

It is under Union Health Ministry

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

Objective

To minimize consumer spending on the disease by controlling the cost of diabetes, cardiovascular, cancer drugs, and stents and implants.

• In July 2014, the plan set the pricing of 106 anti-diabetic and cardiovascular medications.
• On March 16, 2016, the ceiling price for 102 formulations was notified after the NLEM 2015 act was set.
• In February 2017, pricing for coronary stents was released and in august 2017, pricing for Orthopedic implants was released.
• Consumers saved roughly 8400 crores each year as a result of price control on medicines and medical devices.