Govt Looks At Healthcare Startups To Solve Ayushman Bharat Challenges

The Indian government’s ambitious healthcare insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has been facing certain challenges due to the extent of the scheme.

To bring smart and simple solutions to these challenges, the Indian government is currently looking towards the Indian healthtech startups to bring about innovative solutions under the Ayushman Bharat Start-up Grand Challenge.

For the challenge, the central government is planning to get healthtech startups engaged in various sectors — Medical Devices, Digital Health, Health Communications, Hospital services and Hospital Management, Medical workforce training and capacity building, among others — to solve a set of problem statements, which AB-PMJAY has been facing in the implementation drive.

Selected startups will have to pitch their innovative solutions in front of a jury panel. The winners of the challenge will be awarded fiscal benefits in the form of a cash price, which has not been disclosed. Besides helping in the implementation of AB-PMJAY, the winners will also get an opportunity to conduct pilots for the innovation, along with other healthcare giants.

Moreover, the selected startups will also top institutions in healthcare for technology development, refinement, and manufacturing support. Moreover, the startups will also get a chance to get in touch with investors to raise funding in the future.

The central government’s National Health Authority (NHA) in collaboration with industry body NATHEALTH, organised a carnival to support healthtech startups by providing access to markets and capital through funding opportunities, on November 30 (Today).

Indu Bhushan, CEO of NHA, said, “We have been witnessing a plethora of healthcare innovations happening across the country and it is crucial to empower them by providing the right support. Our main objective was to showcase an enabling healthcare innovation ecosystem that supports healthcare innovators and provides them with opportunities to partner and scale.”

The platform will also provide opportunities to startups working in the digital healthcare sector to engage with mentors and formulate industry partnerships and technology development assistance. The event will be a part of the NATHEALTH’s sixth annual summit.

Bhushan also added that ambitious schemes like Ayushman Bharat need the energy and innovation of young India, which will be possible through startups working in the sector. He added that the startups have the capacity to bridge the current demand-supply gap and ensure quality services to the 50 Cr beneficiaries.

Ayushman Bharat is an Indian government flagship scheme to provide healthcare benefits to about 50 Cr economically vulnerable citizens. The insurance scheme, which was launched on 23 September 2017, aims to provide healthcare coverage of up to INR 5 Lakh to 10 Cr poor households in India.

The scheme also includes the central government’s other healthcare schemes like Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).