Dr VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog said that PM JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) has started to absorb other government schemes and expand its scope on the initiatives of the state governments. “The central government is also willing to increase its ambit. PM JAY is here to stay, and it is the main vehicle for secondary and tertiary care and therefore we have to reposition ourselves to align with this,” he added.

Addressing the inaugural session of ‘FICCI HEAL 2021’, organised jointly with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and NITI Aayog, Dr Paul stated that the government will continue to refine PMJAY and all those who are not yet part of it should partner with it. 

Dr Paul also shared that state governments are planning to increase their budgets on healthcare from the current 4-4.5 per cent to almost 8 per cent, which should help in getting the requisite focus on enhancing the healthcare status. 

Dr Sangita Reddy, Immd. Past President, FICCI and Joint MD, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “The government recently announced the revision in the rates of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana- the Health Benefit Package 2.2 and this will indeed encourage more private hospitals to join hands with the government. I urge the government to include outpatient packages under the PMJAY."

Dr Alok Roy, Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee & Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals said, "There is a need for augmenting and expanding these collaborations and advancements in innovations to a new level to help bring in the real transformation of our healthcare ecosystem."