New Delhi, 24 September (H.S.):

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda will inaugurate Arogya Manthan 2026 at Vigyan Bhavan on Friday. The event will highlight the achievements of eight years of Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and five years of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

Several new initiatives related to digital health and health insurance will be launched during Arogya Manthan 2026. A key initiative will be the Secure Data Environment, aimed at establishing a more robust digital framework for the responsible and secure use of health-related data.

According to information released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday, more than 600 million beneficiaries have been covered under AB-PMJAY so far. The scheme has facilitated more than 130 million hospital admissions to date, involving financial assistance exceeding Rs. 2 lakh crore.

The inclusion of all citizens aged 70 years and above under the scheme has extended health-security coverage to nearly 60 million additional senior citizens. The expansion is intended to strengthen financial protection for elderly people against healthcare expenses.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has also witnessed rapid expansion of digital healthcare services. More than 978 million Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHAs) have been created so far, while more than 1.21 billion health records have been linked to these digital accounts. More than 1.1 million healthcare professionals are also part of the digital health ecosystem.

Alongside these achievements, Arogya Manthan 2026 will discuss the next phase of expanding digital healthcare services across the country, ensuring the secure use of health data and improving access to healthcare facilities for citizens.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar