The fifth edition of Regional Review Meeting – ‘Ayushman Sangam’ was organised by National Health Authority (NHA) in Pune, Maharashtra for the Western region on 30th June and 1st July 2022. The event saw a gathering of senior government officials, policymakers and experts associated with the two schemes of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) from the states/UT of Gujarat, Goa, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu. The review meeting was chaired by Dr. R. S. Sharma, CEO, NHA. Addressing the event, Dr Sharma lauded the efforts and contribution made by the Western Zone towards the successful implementation of AB PM-JAY.

The two-day interaction created avenues of cohesive thought exchange facilitating assessment of progress made by both Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY & ABDM schemes in the States/UTs of Western Region.

Along the side-lines of the programme, around 1000 Doctors were felicitated on 1st July, 2022 for their exemplary contribution provided under PM-JAY scheme.

Dr. R. S. Sharma, CEO NHA while giving the keynote address highlighted upon the role played by the doctors in India’s fight against the pandemic and the roll out of the vaccination drive. Dr. Sharma said, ‘On the face of it, the COWIN platform is the tech-backbone of India’s vaccination drive but in spirit it is the network of our doctors and medical professionals who have made the world’s largest vaccination drive successful. Our community of doctors have been instrumental not only in our fight against the pandemic but have also played a crucial part in ensuring the successful implementation of the key healthcare schemes like the Ayushman Bharat umbrella scheme PM-JAY.’

While addressing the gathering, Dr Pradeep Vyas, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Health Department, Government of Maharashtra expressed his gratitude to the doctors and the medical fraternity. He said ‘The doctors of our country who work selflessly need to be recognised for their exemplary service. Today, we are felicitating a few among them as a token of gratitude to the collective contribution of doctors to our society and I salute all of them for their dedication to provide quality healthcare. Let us all commit to continuously strive for excellence in our service to the nation.’

Speaking during the event Dr. Vipul Aggarwal, Deputy CEO, NHA said: ‘In my view it is not just a job, it’s a challenging commitment and service which our doctors manage to do without a single frown upon their face. As we move forward, we know that the pandemic would continue to evolve, and the health care community would also need to match the pace of this evolution to stay ahead of the game and deliver high-quality care to all patients.’

Dr. Neelima Kerkatta, Principal Secretary, Public Health Department, Government of Maharashtra and Dr. Sudhakar Shinde, CEO State Health Authority Assurance Society, Maharashtra were also present during the meeting.

With an objective to continue with its endeavour to reward and recognise the medical fraternity associated with the PM-JAY scheme on a regular basis, NHA announced the launch of following key initiatives:

Ayushman Bharat Utkrist Chikitsak Samman: An award to felicitate five best performing doctors working in the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY ecosystem.

Ayushman Bharat Utkrist Chikitsalaya Samman: An award for one best performing hospital empanelled under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY in each state.

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Fellowship: Under this, as many as five healthcare professionals will be given a one-year fellowship grant to undertake research under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.

All these awards will be conferred during the anniversary celebration of AB PM-JAY in September 2022. Officials and doctors from State Health Agencies across various PM-JAY implementing States & UTs virtually participated in the felicitation event and it kicked off similar felicitation ceremonies across India to recognise the contribution of doctors.

The performance of States/UTs of Western Region under the AB PM-JAY scheme so far in providing treatment to eligible beneficiaries is as below: