Coverage, utilization, and impact of Ayushman Bharat scheme among the rural field practice area of Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai

INTRODUCTION: Ayushman Bharat scheme, otherwise called as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), is a National Health Protection Scheme introduced on 23 September 2018 by the government of India to aid the economically disadvantaged families. AIM: The study was initiated to estimate the coverage, utilization, and impact of Ayushman Bharat scheme in the rural field practice area of Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This is the cross-sectional study conducted in the rural field practice area of Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This cross-sectional study done among 300 households in Mappedu region of Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. Simple random sampling was done to choose the study participants to reach the sample size of 300. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire. After the entry of data, the descriptive statistics was presented in frequency tables and graph. RESULT: The study found that out of 300 households only about 42.33% of the households were covered under Ayushman Bharat scheme. Among the households covered under Ayushman Bharat scheme, 47.24% households have availed Ayushman Bharat scheme in the past 1 year and only 10% of those availed the scheme has spent additional amount for health care. Around 39.88% of the households not having Ayushman Bharat scheme has faced financial burden because of health care expenditure. CONCLUSION: Creating awareness, appropriate governance, and working toward quality assurance, prompt referral pathways in both public and private healthcare providers can make Ayushman Bharat scheme effective.