Daily Analysis of 'The Hindu' - 19th February, 2020 | Additional Study Material for UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Powering the health-care engine with innovation
?It has been close to 18 months since the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,
launched the country-wide implementation of Ayushman Bharat-
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), or the national health
protection scheme; the initial momentum has been very encouraging.
?The scheme is currently being implemented in 32 of 36 States and
Union Territories.
?It has provided 84 lakh free treatments to poor and vulnerable
patients for secondary and tertiary ailments at 22,000 empanelled
hospitals, countrywide.
?Under PM-JAY, there is one free treatment every three seconds and
two beneficiaries verified every second.
Page 2


Powering the health-care engine with innovation
?It has been close to 18 months since the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,
launched the country-wide implementation of Ayushman Bharat-
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), or the national health
protection scheme; the initial momentum has been very encouraging.
?The scheme is currently being implemented in 32 of 36 States and
Union Territories.
?It has provided 84 lakh free treatments to poor and vulnerable
patients for secondary and tertiary ailments at 22,000 empanelled
hospitals, countrywide.
?Under PM-JAY, there is one free treatment every three seconds and
two beneficiaries verified every second.
?As the scale of this scheme grows, a key area of
focus is to expand the secondary and tertiary
hospitals empanelled under PM-JAY and ensure
their quality and capacity while keeping the costs
down.
?At present, there is one government bed for
every 1,844 patients and one doctor for every
11,082 patients.
?In the coming years, considering 3%
hospitalisation of PM-JAY-covered beneficiaries,
the scheme is likely to provide treatment to
1.5 crore patients annually.
?This means physical and human infrastructure
capacity would need to be augmented vastly.
Page 3


Powering the health-care engine with innovation
?It has been close to 18 months since the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,
launched the country-wide implementation of Ayushman Bharat-
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), or the national health
protection scheme; the initial momentum has been very encouraging.
?The scheme is currently being implemented in 32 of 36 States and
Union Territories.
?It has provided 84 lakh free treatments to poor and vulnerable
patients for secondary and tertiary ailments at 22,000 empanelled
hospitals, countrywide.
?Under PM-JAY, there is one free treatment every three seconds and
two beneficiaries verified every second.
?As the scale of this scheme grows, a key area of
focus is to expand the secondary and tertiary
hospitals empanelled under PM-JAY and ensure
their quality and capacity while keeping the costs
down.
?At present, there is one government bed for
every 1,844 patients and one doctor for every
11,082 patients.
?In the coming years, considering 3%
hospitalisation of PM-JAY-covered beneficiaries,
the scheme is likely to provide treatment to
1.5 crore patients annually.
?This means physical and human infrastructure
capacity would need to be augmented vastly.
?Conservative estimates suggest the we would need
more than 150,000 additional beds, especially in
Tier-2 and -3 cities.
?While a comprehensive long-term strategy will
focus on expanding hospital and human
resources infrastructure, an effective near-term
approach is needed to improve efficiencies and
bridge gaps within the existing supply and likely
demand.
Transformative solutions
?Entrepreneurial spirit of India
?Systematic push for the development of a start-up
ecosystem
Page 4


Powering the health-care engine with innovation
?It has been close to 18 months since the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,
launched the country-wide implementation of Ayushman Bharat-
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), or the national health
protection scheme; the initial momentum has been very encouraging.
?The scheme is currently being implemented in 32 of 36 States and
Union Territories.
?It has provided 84 lakh free treatments to poor and vulnerable
patients for secondary and tertiary ailments at 22,000 empanelled
hospitals, countrywide.
?Under PM-JAY, there is one free treatment every three seconds and
two beneficiaries verified every second.
?As the scale of this scheme grows, a key area of
focus is to expand the secondary and tertiary
hospitals empanelled under PM-JAY and ensure
their quality and capacity while keeping the costs
down.
?At present, there is one government bed for
every 1,844 patients and one doctor for every
11,082 patients.
?In the coming years, considering 3%
hospitalisation of PM-JAY-covered beneficiaries,
the scheme is likely to provide treatment to
1.5 crore patients annually.
?This means physical and human infrastructure
capacity would need to be augmented vastly.
?Conservative estimates suggest the we would need
more than 150,000 additional beds, especially in
Tier-2 and -3 cities.
?While a comprehensive long-term strategy will
focus on expanding hospital and human
resources infrastructure, an effective near-term
approach is needed to improve efficiencies and
bridge gaps within the existing supply and likely
demand.
Transformative solutions
?Entrepreneurial spirit of India
?Systematic push for the development of a start-up
ecosystem
?It is estimated that there are more than 4,000
health-care technology start-ups in India.
?Start-ups are working to bring innovative
technologies and business models that leapfrog
infrastructure, human resources, cost-
effectiveness and efficiency challenges in Tier-2
and -3 cities.
?Artificial Intelligence platforms that aid in rapid
radiology diagnoses in low resource settings
?Tele-ICU platforms to bridge the gap in high-skilled
critical care personnel
?Centralised drone delivery of blood, medicines and
vaccines to reach remote locations cost-effectively and
reliably.
Page 5


Powering the health-care engine with innovation
?It has been close to 18 months since the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,
launched the country-wide implementation of Ayushman Bharat-
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), or the national health
protection scheme; the initial momentum has been very encouraging.
?The scheme is currently being implemented in 32 of 36 States and
Union Territories.
?It has provided 84 lakh free treatments to poor and vulnerable
patients for secondary and tertiary ailments at 22,000 empanelled
hospitals, countrywide.
?Under PM-JAY, there is one free treatment every three seconds and
two beneficiaries verified every second.
?As the scale of this scheme grows, a key area of
focus is to expand the secondary and tertiary
hospitals empanelled under PM-JAY and ensure
their quality and capacity while keeping the costs
down.
?At present, there is one government bed for
every 1,844 patients and one doctor for every
11,082 patients.
?In the coming years, considering 3%
hospitalisation of PM-JAY-covered beneficiaries,
the scheme is likely to provide treatment to
1.5 crore patients annually.
?This means physical and human infrastructure
capacity would need to be augmented vastly.
?Conservative estimates suggest the we would need
more than 150,000 additional beds, especially in
Tier-2 and -3 cities.
?While a comprehensive long-term strategy will
focus on expanding hospital and human
resources infrastructure, an effective near-term
approach is needed to improve efficiencies and
bridge gaps within the existing supply and likely
demand.
Transformative solutions
?Entrepreneurial spirit of India
?Systematic push for the development of a start-up
ecosystem
?It is estimated that there are more than 4,000
health-care technology start-ups in India.
?Start-ups are working to bring innovative
technologies and business models that leapfrog
infrastructure, human resources, cost-
effectiveness and efficiency challenges in Tier-2
and -3 cities.
?Artificial Intelligence platforms that aid in rapid
radiology diagnoses in low resource settings
?Tele-ICU platforms to bridge the gap in high-skilled
critical care personnel
?Centralised drone delivery of blood, medicines and
vaccines to reach remote locations cost-effectively and
reliably.
?It is high time for transformative solutions to
make their way into our hospitals, especially in
Tier-2 and -3 cities, to turbocharge the way health
care is delivered at scale.
Addressing the constraints
?One challenge is non-uniform regulatory and
validation standards.
?Hospitals often rely on foreign regulatory
certifications such as FDA and CE, especially for
riskier devices and instruments.
?Lack of standards in this area leads to a huge
variation in validation requirements at States
and hospitals, forcing the start-up into a spiral of
piloting studies.