Ayushman Bharat: What the NFHS data reveals

For millions of Indians, illness has always come with two burdens: the disease itself and the crushing financial cost of treatment. Out-of-pocket spending continues to account for a large share of India's healthcare expenditure, and a single hospitalisation has historically pushed countless families into poverty. The burden has fallen most heavily on the poor, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, and rural households with limited access to affordable secondary and tertiary care.

Launched in September 2018, Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) sought to break this link between sickness and poverty by providing cashless hospital care to the country's poorest 40 per cent of the population. The question is simple: how much has it changed healthcare access on the ground?

Data from the National Family Health Survey, PM-JAY programme records, official government reports, and independent studies offers a clear picture of how India's journey towards universal health coverage is progressing.