Vision Assistive Technology: The Need for Inclusion in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana Scheme, Government of India

India is witnessing an increase in functional impairment, including vision loss, because of an aging population and the growing prevalence of chronic diseases. Assistive technology (AT) is required for these individuals to minimize their limitations and promote independent living. Therefore, developing effective strategies to improve access to AT is crucial. Various approaches, such as integration into healthcare insurance, can play an important role in improving AT accessibility. One such scheme is The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) that holds a potential role in improving accessibility vision-related AT. This initiative is a nationwide healthcare insurance scheme introduced by the Government in 2018 and considered one of the world’s largest schemes. It covers medical and surgical expenses of economically disadvantaged families. Among all medical care, one percent of the allocated PM-JAY budget goes to ophthalmology care, with 98% of it spent in cataract surgery, whereas vision AT is not covered. Evidence shows that a significant number of individuals continue to have poor visual outcomes even after receiving ophthalmic intervention and subsequently require vision AT to optimize visual outcomes. However, access to AT remains alarmingly poor, with only three percent of individuals are able to obtain in low- and middle-income countries. This highlights the urgent need to address AT access within the existing scheme. Integrating vision AT into the PM-JAY scheme is vital for bridging toward this gap. Such an inclusion would ensure a more holistic and equitable healthcare benefits package for individuals with poor visual outcomes following ophthalmological care.