The government has settled over 1.06 lakh claims under Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme since its launch October 2024, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

On 29th October 2024, Indian Government expanded the scope of the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to include all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status. Under this initiative, beneficiaries will receive free treatment benefits of up to Rs 5 lakh per year through Ayushman Vay Vandana cards.

In addition, the portability feature of AB-PMJAY allows eligible beneficiaries—including those under the Vay Vandana scheme—to access healthcare services at any of the 31,466 empanelled hospitals across the country, regardless of their place of residence. This ensures seamless and equitable access to quality healthcare for the elderly population nationwide.

Vay Vandana scheme beneficiaries can also avail treatment through a vast network of 14,194 private healthcare providers empanelled under the scheme. To ensure quality and consistency in service delivery, the National Health Authority (NHA) has issued comprehensive Hospital Empanelment and Management (HEM) Guidelines for the empanelment of hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).