The Performance of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) in a District of Uttar Pradesh: A descriptive study

Abstract

Introduction: The government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) in September 2018, a health insurance scheme to protect poor households (40% of the population) from hospital expenses. This was a step towards achieving universal health coverage in India. Aims & Objective: This study aims to examine the performance of the PMJAY scheme in a district of UP. Methodology: The schemes’ programme data was analyzed to assess the performance in terms of coverage, enrolment and utilization of the scheme. Results: In the study district, only 16.5% of the population was registered in the PMJAY list. Of these 16.5%, only 4.1% were provided with a PMJAY card. Among the cardholders, 14% were admitted and benefited from the scheme during the period April 2021 till March 2022.Conclusion: The registration of beneficiaries and their enrolment were low in this district. Utilization of the scheme is high, probably because of adverse selection.