Union minister of state for health and family welfare Anupriya Patel on Friday said the central government’s efforts to translate universal health coverage into reality are delivering results with the rapid expansion of healthcare initiatives.
At the FE Healthcare Summit & Awards 2026, Patel said that the Centre’s flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has provided institutional care to over 120 million beneficiaries backed by government spending of Rs 1.82 lakh crore. The scheme now covers around 1,961 procedures in the health benefit package, and has helped reduce out-of-pocket health expenditure from 64% to 49%.
Digital Frontiers
Patel said India’s digital health ecosystem has also expanded rapidly, with over 950 million ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) accounts created and more than 1 billion health records linked digitally. She added that over 10 lakh doctors have registered on the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission platform, while 1.24 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are conducting one of the world’s largest screening programmes for diabetes, hypertension and common cancers.
From Theory to Reality
Patel said universal health coverage had remained “on paper” for years, but the Modi government is working to convert it into reality. She also said that the central government has adopted an integrated approach combining healthcare, pharmaceuticals, digital technologies, research and innovation to build an ecosystem capable of addressing both India’s healthcare needs and emerging global health challenges.