Knowledge, enrollment, and utilization of the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana scheme among the elderly individuals reporting to a tertiary care hospital
Gunjan H. Thawrani, Meenal V. KulkarniABSTRACT
Context:
Rapid population ageing in India has increased healthcare needs and financial vulnerability among older adults. Ayushman Bharat PMJAY is the overarching national public health insurance program for economically vulnerable families, whereas the Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme is a specialized, universal recent expansion of PMJAY designed specifically for all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of their income.
Aims:
To assess awareness, enrollment, and utilization regarding the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana scheme among the elderly, to examine factors associated with utilization, and to assess barriers in coverage and utilization of the scheme.
Settings and Design:
Geriatric outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital, analytical cross-sectional study.
Methods and Materials:
An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 305 elderly patients reporting to a tertiary care hospital. Data were collected using a pretested, prevalidated semi-structured questionnaire. Knowledge score was calculated by using a scoring system.
Statistical Analysis:
Descriptive statistics were used, and associations were tested using the Chi-square test.
Results:
The majority of participants (84.6%) had moderate knowledge regarding the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana scheme, while only 9.2% demonstrated good knowledge. Poor knowledge was observed in 6.2% of the respondents. 145 (47.54) possessed the card. Out of 145 cardholders, 75 (51.72) had utilized the scheme benefits. No statistically significant association was noted between socio-demographic variables and utilization of the scheme.
Conclusion:
The level of knowledge was found to be moderate among 4/5 of the participants, but enrollment and utilization were found to be low. Strengthening community-level information dissemination and health system facilitation is essential to improve effective coverage.