Ayushman Bharat at 8: 60 crore covered, ₹2 lakh crore saved, says PM Modi
Synopsis
Eight years in, Ayushman Bharat is no longer just a promise — it is a 60-crore-person reality. PM Modi's anniversary post on X points to ₹2 lakh crore in family savings, 13 crore hospital admissions, and 500 crore primary care visits. The numbers make it the world's largest health protection scheme, but independent verification of outcomes remains the critical next question.
Key Takeaways
PM Modi marked Ayushman Bharat's 8th anniversary on 23 September 2026 , calling it the largest healthcare scheme in the world.
More than 60 crore beneficiaries now have access to ₹5 lakh annual health cover under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.
Free treatments have helped families save over ₹2 lakh crore in medical expenses, according to government data.
The scheme has facilitated over 13 crore hospital admissions across a network of more than 38,000 empanelled hospitals.
6 crore senior citizens aged above 70 are now covered regardless of socio-economic status.
1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have logged over 500 crore visits , expanding primary care at the grassroots level.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, marked the eighth anniversary of Ayushman Bharat by highlighting that the flagship health protection scheme now covers more than 60 crore beneficiaries with an annual health cover of ₹5 lakh, calling it the largest healthcare scheme in the world. Modi said the scheme was launched with the goal of ensuring every Indian has access to quality and affordable healthcare.
PM Modi's Anniversary Message
Posting on social media platform X, Modi said: 'Eight years ago, Ayushman Bharat was rolled out with the idea that every Indian should have access to top-quality and affordable healthcare. Today, more than 60 crore beneficiaries have access to ₹5 lakh annual health cover, making it the largest healthcare scheme in the world.' He added that the scheme 'has enabled record savings on medical expenses, thus benefitting the poor and middle class,' and noted that Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have already recorded over 500 crore visits, strengthening primary healthcare at the grassroots level.
Key Achievements Over Eight Years
According to data shared by MyGovIndia, free treatments under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY have helped families save more than ₹2 lakh crore in healthcare expenses since the scheme's launch. The scheme has facilitated over 13 crore hospital admissions and now has more than 38,000 hospitals in its empanelled network across the country.
Notably, 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are now operational, bringing primary healthcare closer to communities. More than 500 crore footfalls have been recorded at these centres, reflecting significant grassroots reach. Additionally, more than 30 lakh treatments worth over ₹8,800 crore have been availed outside beneficiaries' home states, underscoring the scheme's portability across India.
Senior Citizens and Women Coverage
The scheme has been extended to six crore senior citizens aged above 70 years, irrespective of their socio-economic status — a significant expansion of its earlier income-linked eligibility. According to MyGovIndia, nearly one in two Ayushman Cards belong to women, making female beneficiaries a central component of the scheme's coverage profile.
Preventive Healthcare at Scale
The government data also highlights a preventive care dimension: more than 42 crore screenings for diabetes and hypertension have been conducted under the scheme's umbrella, alongside crores of screenings for oral, breast, and cervical cancers. This positions Ayushman Bharat not merely as a hospitalisation cover but increasingly as an early-detection infrastructure. This comes amid broader concerns about India's non-communicable disease burden, which accounts for a growing share of public health expenditure.
What the Milestone Signals
Launched in September 2018, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY was designed to address catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure, which has historically pushed millions of Indian households into poverty. At eight years, the scheme's expansion to seniors and its portability features mark a structural deepening of its original design. The government's claim of ₹2 lakh crore in family savings, if independently verified, would represent one of the largest direct welfare transfers in India's healthcare history. How the scheme performs on outcomes — not just coverage numbers — is expected to shape future policy discussions around universal health coverage.
Point of View
But the metric that matters most — health outcomes — remains largely absent from the government's anniversary accounting. Coverage and footfalls measure inputs, not results; the ₹2 lakh crore in claimed savings is self-reported and awaits independent audit. Ayushman Bharat's real test lies in whether hospitalisation rates for catastrophic illness among the poor have actually declined, and whether the scheme's portability and senior-citizen expansion have reached the most marginalised. At eight years, it deserves scrutiny proportional to its scale.
NationPress
23 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ayushman Bharat and how many people does it cover?
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is India's flagship government-funded health protection scheme, providing an annual cover of ₹5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation. As of its eighth anniversary in September 2026, it covers more than 60 crore beneficiaries, making it the world's largest health insurance scheme.
How much have families saved under Ayushman Bharat?
According to government data shared on the scheme's eighth anniversary, free treatments under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY have helped families save more than ₹2 lakh crore in healthcare expenses. The scheme has facilitated over 13 crore hospital admissions across more than 38,000 empanelled hospitals.
Are senior citizens covered under Ayushman Bharat?
Yes. Six crore senior citizens aged above 70 years are now covered under Ayushman Bharat, irrespective of their socio-economic status. This expansion removed the earlier income-based eligibility requirement for this age group.
What are Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and how many exist?
Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are primary healthcare centres under the Ayushman Bharat umbrella, designed to bring basic health services closer to communities. There are currently 1.86 lakh such centres operational, which have collectively recorded over 500 crore patient visits.
Can Ayushman Bharat benefits be used outside one's home state?
Yes, the scheme offers portability across India. According to government data, more than 30 lakh treatments worth over ₹8,800 crore have been availed outside beneficiaries' home states, allowing families to access care wherever they are in the country.
