Inter-state Disparities in Health Care Facilities During COVID-19: A Study of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in India

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one of the primary agendas of the World Health Organization (WHO) for achieving the goal of sustainable development. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) is an important landmark in India’s road towards achieving this objective of universal health. The scheme aims to provide access to quality healthcare services through its empanelled public and private hospitals at the secondary and tertiary care levels. The current study attempts to understand the interstate disparities amongst the states using the scheme during COVID-19, and also analyses the interrelationship between the status of COVID-19 and PM-JAY-empanelled health infrastructure. The study has used secondary data from the COVID-19 India dashboard and the PM-JAY website for the analysis. The study found that, despite having an overall positive correlation between the number of COVID cases and the number of beneficiaries treated, there still exist wide disparities among the states in availing treatment. It was also evident that there is no significant relationship between the status of COVID-19 and the empanelled health infrastructure under PM-JAY. The states with a high number of health infrastructure, with high death and fewer recovery cases, had the worst COVID-19 situation. In order to have better utilisation of the scheme, the government can take necessary measures, such as broader coverage of the scheme, sufficient budgetary allocation to the states, and investment in additional private health infrastructure.