India’s Healthcare Push: 45.5 Crore Ayushman Cards, 1.86 Lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
New Delhi, August 20, 2026: India’s public healthcare system has expanded significantly over the past 12 years, with government initiatives focusing on health insurance, primary healthcare, disease prevention, affordable medicines, digital health and medical infrastructure.
Under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), eligible families receive health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year. As of August 12, 2026, more than 45.5 crore Ayushman Cards had been issued, while 12.69 crore hospitalisations had been covered, involving expenditure of ₹1.92 lakh crore as of June 30, 2026.
More than 38,466 public and private hospitals are empanelled under the scheme. Meanwhile, 1.20 crore senior citizens have enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana scheme, with more than 13.84 lakh treatments worth ₹3,000 crore availed by beneficiaries.
Primary Healthcare Network Expands
More than 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are now functional across the country, offering 12 free healthcare services. Together, these centres have recorded more than 540 crore visits.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, support is being provided for rural and urban health and wellness centres, block public health units, integrated public health laboratories and critical-care hospital blocks.
Digital Health Gains Momentum
Digital healthcare has emerged as another major component of India’s health system. Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, 96.43 crore ABHA health IDs had been created as of August 12, while more than 110 crore health records had been linked to ABHA.
The platform has also registered more than 5.47 lakh health facilities and over 10.50 lakh healthcare professionals.
Maternal and Child Healthcare
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan has facilitated more than 7.91 crore free antenatal check-ups and identified over 1.24 crore high-risk pregnancies.
Institutional deliveries increased from 78.9% in 2015-16 to 90.6% in 2023-24. First-trimester antenatal registration also rose from 58.6% to 76.2% during the same period.
The Universal Immunisation Programme provides free vaccines against 12 diseases to 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women every year.
The government also launched a three-month HPV vaccination campaign in February 2026 for 1.2 crore girls aged 14. By July 15, more than 52.10 lakh girls had received the vaccine.
Progress Against TB and Other Diseases
Government data cited in the report show that annual new TB cases declined by 21% between 2015 and 2024, while TB-related mortality fell by 28%.
TB treatment success rates increased from 83% in 2021 to 90% in 2025, while treatment coverage rose from 53% in 2015 to 92% in 2024.
For non-communicable diseases, nationwide screening has covered 41.5 crore people for hypertension, 41.3 crore for diabetes, 35.3 crore for oral cancer and 16.5 crore for breast cancer.
The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme had provided free dialysis to 32.44 lakh patients across 1,856 centres by June 2026.
Affordable Medicines and Telemedicine
More than 18,646 Jan Aushadhi Kendras were operational as of February 2026, providing generic medicines at prices stated to be 50-80% lower than branded alternatives.
The AMRIT pharmacy network offers discounts of 50-90% on life-saving medicines. More than 6.85 crore patients have benefited, with medicines worth over ₹17,000 crore dispensed and cumulative patient savings estimated at around ₹8,400 crore.
The national eSanjeevani platform has delivered more than 49 crore consultations since its launch in 2019, with over 2.4 lakh healthcare providers registered.
Tele-MANAS, the national mental health helpline, operates in 20 languages across all 36 States and Union Territories and has received 43.64 lakh calls since its launch in 2022.
Medical Education Infrastructure Expands
India’s medical education capacity has also grown. The number of allopathic medical colleges more than doubled from 387 to 818 by 2025-26.
Since 2014, 12 new AIIMS have become functional, taking the total number of AIIMS to 23. MBBS and postgraduate medical seats stood at 1,28,976 and 85,822 respectively in 2025-26.
The government is also establishing 157 new nursing colleges, while B.Sc. Nursing seats have increased to 1,27,290.
The initiatives collectively reflect an effort to expand healthcare access through financial protection, primary care, disease prevention, affordable medicines, digital services and increased medical capacity.
