Pariksha SaathiAyushman Vay Vandana completes two years: 23.46 lakh authorised hospital admissions worth ₹5,668.80 crore for senior citizens aged 70 and above
Ayushman Vay Vandana, which extends the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to every citizen aged 70 years and above irrespective of socio-economic status, completed two years on 29 October 2026, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. Launched by the Prime Minister on 29 October 2024 and implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA), the initiative marks an important step towards extending health coverage and strengthening financial protection for approximately 6 crore senior citizens belonging to around 4.5 crore families. All senior citizens aged 70 years and above are eligible for health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation; those belonging to families already covered under AB PM-JAY get an additional top-up cover of up to ₹5 lakh per year exclusively for themselves, separate from the cover available to family members below 70 years of age. As on 20 October 2026, the initiative had recorded 23.46 lakh authorised hospital admissions, with a total value of ₹5,668.80 crore. Cataract surgery is the most frequently availed procedure, with 4.71 lakh treatments, approximately 20.1 per cent of all authorised treatments, and chronic haemodialysis ranks next with approximately 2.90 lakh treatments; in terms of authorised value, Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) accounts for the largest share, at approximately ₹649 crore. Other prominent treatment categories include total knee replacement, management of acute exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), acute febrile illness, and acute kidney injury and renal failure. NHA CEO Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal called the initiative an important step towards a more inclusive healthcare system that ensures financial constraints do not stand in the way of essential hospital care for senior citizens.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 11 September 2024 the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved health coverage under AB PM-JAY for all senior citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of income, and said eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under the scheme. Senior citizens of 70 and above who already avail other public health insurance schemes such as the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) or Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) may either choose their existing scheme or opt for AB PM-JAY, and those under private health insurance policies or the Employees' State Insurance scheme are also eligible. The release described AB PM-JAY as the world's largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, providing health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families. The expansion to senior citizens had been announced by the Prime Minister in April 2024. The scheme initially covered 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families, the bottom 40% of India's population; in January 2022 the beneficiary base was revised to 12 crore families, and it was later extended to 37 lakh ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and Anganwadi helpers and their families.
Check yourself: when did the Union Cabinet approve the cover for all senior citizens aged 70 and above, and which public health schemes does it name, as examples, whose beneficiaries may choose between their existing scheme and AB PM-JAY?
11 September 2024; the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and Ayushman CAPF.
Revision task: from this release, note the launch date, the age of eligibility, the cover per family and the top-up, the number of senior citizens and families, the admissions and their value as on 20 October 2026, the most frequently availed procedure and the next one, and the procedure with the largest share by authorised value; from the note, the date of the Cabinet approval, the schemes whose beneficiaries may choose, AB PM-JAY's overall coverage and the January 2022 revision.
Test yourself
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which procedure was the most frequently availed under Ayushman Vay Vandana as on 20 October 2026?
Show the answer
Answer: Cataract surgery
Cataract surgery is the most frequently availed procedure under Ayushman Vay Vandana, with 4.71 lakh treatments, approximately 20.1 per cent of all authorised treatments; chronic haemodialysis ranks next with approximately 2.90 lakh treatments, while Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) accounts for the largest share by authorised value, approximately ₹649 crore. As on 20 October 2026 the initiative, launched on 29 October 2024 for every citizen aged 70 years and above, had recorded 23.46 lakh authorised hospital admissions valued at ₹5,668.80 crore.
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