Events of ADRI Patna
Patna. March 16. The Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), in collaboration with the Bihar Swasthya Suraksha Samiti (BSSS), organized “Ayushman Manthan” at the Urja Auditorium in Patna today. The event served as the concluding workshop of a series of five workshops conducted across all commissionerates of Bihar, covering all districts of the state. As part of the workshops, 92 percent of the private-empaneled hospitals have been trained for this scheme. These workshops were organized to strengthen engagement with hospitals and improve the quality and transparency of services under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
The workshop witnessed participation of around 1,000 stakeholders, including doctors and owners of private and public hospitals, representatives of medical colleges, civil surgeons, and other district-level health officials. The large participation reflected the growing importance of AB-PMJAY as one of the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance programmes providing health coverage of up to ₹5 lakhs per family annually.
Speaking on the occasion, the Hon’ble Health Minister of Bihar, Shri Mangal Pandey, highlighted the remarkable progress of the scheme in the state. Bihar has emerged as one of the leading states in the implementation of the programme. The state currently ranks third in the country in terms of card generation, with 4.16 crore Ayushman cards created, and twelfth in terms of the number of hospitals empanelled, with about 1,230 hospitals participating in the scheme. So far, over 32 lakh patients have received treatment under the programme, with total expenditures reaching ₹4,784 crores.
The current phase of the programme places a strong emphasis on quality of care, compliance with standard treatment guidelines, and fraud prevention mechanisms. The Ayushman Manthan workshop was therefore designed as a unique platform for direct engagement between the State Health Agency and empaneled hospitals, thereby enabling discussions on documentation requirements, quality standards, and compliance procedures. The initiative aims to strengthen accountability while ensuring that beneficiaries receive high-quality healthcare services.
At the outset, Shri Shashank Shekhar Sinha, CEO of BSSS, welcomed the guests and participants, highlighting the importance of collaboration between the State Health Agency and healthcare providers for the continued success of the scheme
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Ashmita Gupta, Member Secretary of ADRI, emphasized that the Ayushman Manthan series marks an important step in strengthening coordination between the State Health Agency and healthcare providers across Bihar, ensuring improved service delivery and better health outcomes for beneficiaries under AB-PMJAY.
The workshop included technical sessions on Standard Treatment Guidelines, quality documentation, and fraud mitigation, aimed at sensitizing empanelled hospitals on compliance and strengthening quality of care. Speakers in these sessions included Dr. Alok Ranjan, Director (Operations), BSSS; Dr. Neeraj Kumar Singh, Director (Healthcare), BSSS; Shri Shailesh Chandra Diwakar, Administrative Officer; Shri Alok Kumar Singh, Finance Controller, BSSS; and Dr. Suraj Shankar and Dr. Gurinder Randhawa.
During the programme, around 20 hospitals were felicitated for their performance, including Sadar Hospital Begusarai, Mahavir Cancer Research Institute, and Jeevak Heart Hospital, among others.