AYUSHMAN BHARAT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - Polity)

Context: CAG audit reveals serious shortcomings in the implementation of the scheme. The inadequacy of public healthcare in India is a well-acknowledged fact. Public healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP at around 2 per cent, places India among the underdeveloped economies.

About Ayushman Bharat

• It is also known as Jan Arogya Abhiyaan, or the National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) or Modicare
• This initiatives has been created with the goal of aligning with SDG principles, which is “leave no one behind”.
• Aim: To make significant changes in healthcare by addressing all aspects of health (like prevention, promotion, and outpatient care) across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
• Launched by: National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

What are the Issues Highlighted By CAG?

• Patients who were initially marked as "dead" continued to receive treatment through the program.
• The highest cases were in Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Jharkhand, while the fewest cases were found in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, and Chandigarh.
• Pensioners in specific states were discovered to have PMJAY cards and were utilizing the scheme for medical care.
• The report from CAG uncovered systemic problems, such as private hospitals doing procedures meant for public hospitals, lack of proper infrastructure and equipment, and instances of medical negligence.

Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG)

• The Constitution of India (Article 148) provides for an independent office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
• The CAG is the leader of India's audit and accounting department and the main overseer of public funds.
• This institution guarantees that the government and other organizations using public money answer to the Parliament and State Legislatures, thus ensuring accountability to the people.