The National Health Authority (NHA), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, today commenced a two-day National Review Meeting (Chintan Shivir) on the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) at Madhya Pradesh Bhawan, New Delhi. The National Review Meeting was inaugurated by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav.

During the inaugural session, Shri Jadhav released the National Health Authority (NHA) Annual Report, along with the Compendium of Guidelines for the District Implementation Unit (DIU), Beneficiary Empowerment (BE) and Hospital Empanelment Module (HEM), to strengthen programme implementation, improve operational efficiency and promote greater standardisation across States and Union Territories.

The meeting has brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Health Authority, and States and Union Territories to review progress under the Government’s flagship health initiatives, identify implementation priorities and chart the next phase of healthcare reforms through innovation, digital transformation and strengthened Centre–State collaboration.

Addressing the meeting, Shri Prataprao Jadhav complimented the National Health Authority (NHA) for organising the review meeting with all States and Union Territories. Expressing his pleasure at interacting with the health leadership from across the country, he said that the meeting provided an important platform to collectively review progress, share best practices and chart the future course for strengthening the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

Shri Jadhav stated that “AB PM-JAY was conceived in the spirit of Antyodaya, ensuring that the last person in the queue receives priority in accessing quality healthcare and every cashless treatment provided under the scheme reaffirms this commitment.” Highlighting the achievements of the scheme over the past seven years, he stated that “AB PM-JAY has facilitated cashless treatment worth over ₹1.91 lakh crore through a network of more than 37,000 empanelled hospitals across the country, making it the world’s largest health assurance scheme.”

Highlighting the progress of digital health, Shri Jadhav said that “the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has laid the digital foundation for a future-ready healthcare system, with over 94 crore ABHA numbers created and more than 100 crore health records linked. He emphasised that ABDM 2.0 should be measured not merely by the number of digital records created, but by the everyday difference it makes through seamless access to health records across States, easier discovery of nearby health facilities and deeper integration with AB PM-JAY, demonstrating the transformative potential of Digital India in healthcare.”

Calling for greater convergence between AB PM-JAY and ABDM, Shri Jadhav urged all States and Union Territories to strengthen coordination in implementation while continuing to place the poorest and most vulnerable citizens at the centre of all healthcare interventions. Expressing confidence in the collective efforts of all States and Union Territories, he said that together they would build future-ready, citizen-centric and digitally empowered healthcare systems rooted in accessibility, accountability and compassion, contributing significantly towards the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

Chief Executive Officer, National Health Authority (NHA), Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal highlighted the National Review Meeting and the Chintan Shivir series, being organised since October 2025, as an important platform for States and Union Territories to review progress, exchange best practices and address implementation challenges under AB PM-JAY and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). He noted that despite the country's diverse geographical, demographic and socio-cultural landscape, the robust digital architecture of the two flagship schemes has enabled their seamless and effective implementation across India.

Highlighting the transformative potential of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure for Health, Dr. Barnwal said that AB PM-JAY, the world’s largest health assurance scheme, together with the open, interoperable and scalable architecture of ABDM, is laying a strong digital foundation for a more accessible, efficient and citizen-centric healthcare system. He stressed the need to strengthen State-level data analytics for evidence-based policymaking and encouraged States and Union Territories to leverage emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to enhance healthcare delivery and programme implementation. He also highlighted citizen-centric digital initiatives such as the upgraded Ayushman App, Aarogya Setu 2.0, Ayushman Sarathi and the National Drug Registry in improving access to digital health services.

Dr. Barnwal further emphasised that the vast repository of data generated under PM-JAY has the potential to emerge as a valuable national health indicator by providing valuable insights into disease patterns across different States, geographies and demographic groups, thereby enabling more targeted public health interventions and evidence-based policymaking.

The meeting reviewed the progress achieved under AB PM-JAY since the previous Chintan Shivir, focusing on key implementation priorities, programme performance, beneficiary coverage, service delivery, claims management and hospital empanelment. It also assessed the status of actionable items identified during the earlier review meeting and deliberated on measures to strengthen operational efficiency, institutional mechanisms and beneficiary service delivery. The review identified priority areas requiring focused interventions, with special emphasis on saturation of eligible beneficiaries, Ayushman Card generation, enrolment of ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers, accelerated implementation of the Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana, and the promotion of data-driven decision-making.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, with discussions focusing on the progress of key initiatives, adoption of digital health services, and measures to further strengthen the digital health ecosystem. The review underscored the importance of accelerating ABDM implementation through closer coordination with States and continued adoption of interoperable digital health solutions.

The deliberations covered several policy and operational reforms aimed at strengthening programme implementation under AB PM-JAY. The meeting reviewed the proposed framework for planned pre-authorisation for selected procedures to reinforce clinical governance and facilitate timely decision-making. The meeting further reviewed initiatives to strengthen the technology infrastructure supporting AB PM-JAY. It also reviewed recent developments in the Auto-Adjudication Engine to improve consistency, transparency and efficiency in claims processing, alongside the work of the National Anti-Fraud Unit (NAFU) in strengthening programme integrity through risk-based monitoring and data-driven fraud detection mechanisms.

Discussions focused on enhancements to key IT applications for beneficiary identification, hospital empanelment, transaction management, user administration and programme analytics to improve operational efficiency and governance. The meeting also reviewed the rollout of the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX)–HMIS pilot, which aims to facilitate interoperable and standards-based digital exchange of health claims between hospitals and payers.

The review also covered the progress of convergence initiatives being implemented through the AB PM-JAY digital platform, including PM-RAHAT and other government health schemes. Discussions focused on leveraging a common digital infrastructure to promote standardisation, interoperability and seamless delivery of healthcare services across schemes.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation roadmap for the digital health initiatives launched by the National Health Authority on 29 June 2026, including Aarogya Setu 2.0, Ayushman App, Ayushman Sarathi WhatsApp Chatbot, e-Sushrut Clinic, Bharat Health Terminology Service (BHTS), Common LOINC Codes for India (CLCI), Drug Registry, Unified Health Interface (UHI) and the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). Discussions focused on promoting adoption, strengthening interoperability and expanding the availability of citizen-centric digital health services.

The first day of the Chintan Shivir concluded with a presentation by AIIMS, New Delhi on the implementation of the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS), highlighting the role of Artificial Intelligence in supporting evidence-based clinical decision-making and strengthening healthcare delivery.

The Chintan Shivir will continue on 18^th July 2026 with further deliberations on health financing, programme implementation, digital health adoption, data analytics, innovation and best practices under AB PM-JAY and ABDM.

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SR