RECOMMENDATIONS- A ROAD AHEAD

Ayushman Bharat Policy (PM-JAY), launched in 2018, has completed three years, but still, the desired
results have not been observed yet. PM-JAY has a big task and faces many challenges ahead of it.
Drawbacks are part of every scheme, and PM-JAY is not an exception. This section will discuss the various
scope of improvement in the policy.
1. Cost-revisions – The government of India needs to revise the costs of various treatments regularly
so as to incorporate more and more hospitals into the program. Also, states like Maharashtra, Kerala,
where state-government-led insurance programs already exist, protested this scheme claiming that
the costs under the scheme are not practically viable. As a result, the centre allowed them to stick to
their old rates, making policy rules a mere guideline. Therefore, it should be ensured that policy
guidelines should be followed and revised costs remain affordable.
2. Fixing Infrastructural flaws- Government should work towards fixing the infrastructural flaws at
the grass-root level. Setting up costs for different treatments alone will not make the scheme a
success. It should be ensured that treatments given to the public are reliable, of good quality, and
follow hygiene. A trained and specialized workforce should be recruited more. This is a significant
problem in rural areas where highly specialized medical workers are unwilling to do service because
of lack of infrastructure like lack of facilities, outdated or old medical equipment, frequent power
cuts, lack of awareness amongst the general public. Many hospitals still do not have a good number
of beds. This situation came to notice during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought about flaws in
the Indian healthcare system. Many experts believe that hospitals have a smaller number of beds
mainly because of less-trained workers. Therefore, seat numbers and medical colleges should be
increased.
3. Seamless connectivity- swift and effortless connectivity of all people across India with the policy is
still a distant dream. The government should connect people of remote areas and regions of turmoil
like Kashmir, northeast states to the PM-JAY. Hospitals should also be empanelled in remote areas
of the northeast and Leh region. Also, measures should be taken to ensure that political instability
has a minimal impact on the scheme's functioning, as we have seen in the case of Kashmir, where
abrogation of section 370 and shutdown of the internet hampered the functioning of the scheme for
almost two months. 
4. Strict monitoring- every year, the government launches many schemes, but the development rate
remains relatively low. The problem generally not only lies within the policy but also in the way it is
implemented. Government should improve monitoring at every level to avoid fraud, fake
transactions. Reports claim that over ten crores e-cards are created, but there is no mechanism to
check if there is any fraudulent or ghost admission in it. Medical workers often tend to admit
ineligible beneficiaries to earn the cost of treatment covered under schemes. Health experts believe
 that the higher the cover, the more prominent the opportunity for fraud people. Therefore, a more
robust artificial intelligence system is needed to prevent such fraud and ghost admissions cases.
5. Advanced technology- in today's era, everyone and everything is going digitally. The medical
industry is not an exception. For PM-JAY to succeed, it is essential to have robust information
technology as it provides a rock-solid backbone to implementing this yojana. From creating e-cards
to promoting online registration, this scheme has depended heavily on technology for smooth
functioning. To ensure an effortless and seamless implementation of this scheme, we must ensure
that everyone has good access to internet facilities and is also aware of various digital procedures
like online transactions. Advanced technology can help keep an eye on fake transactions and ghost
beneficiaries. Strict actions could then be taken against those who fail to comply with the policy
guidelines. 
6. Collaborations on a sectoral level and political dedication to improve and strengthen the entire
healthcare system are the need of the hour for India to achieve sustainable development goals.

All the above recommendations will ensure that there would be more equanimity concerning access to the
AYUSHMAN BHARAT SCHEME for poor and sick people.

REFERENCES

Porecha, M. (2019, September 24). A year on, Ayushman Bharat faces multiple challenges ahead.

@businessline. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/a-

year-on-ayushman-bharat-faces-multiple-challenges-ahead/article29497106.ece