PMJAY SEHAT covers 18 lakh treatments
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Feb 7: Jammu and Kashmir’s health sector allocation for 2025-26 has been fixed at Rs 8,813.71 crore, an increase of Rs 480.26 crore over the previous financial year.
The allocation constitutes 7.85 per cent of the total Union Territory budget and 3.36 per cent of the projected Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), significantly exceeding the National Health Policy 2017 target of 2.5 per cent of GDP, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26.
The Survey, tabled recently by the Chief Minister, describes this period as one of unprecedented transformation in J&K’s social infrastructure, driven by large-scale investments, rapid expansion of healthcare facilities, and marked improvements in health outcomes.
Between 2019 and 2025, as per the survey, healthcare infrastructure expanded sharply, with the number of medical colleges rising from four to 17 and three colleges established for Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy.
The MBBS seats increased from 500 to 1,725, including those in AIIMS and private institutions, while postgraduate seats rose from 513 to 802.
The B.Sc Nursing seats surged from 685 to 3,040, Health and Wellness Centres reached 3,168, and bed capacity nearly doubled from 11,422 to 22,454.
Major projects include two AIIMS, two State Cancer Institutes, two Bone and Joint Hospitals, a state-of-the-art drug testing laboratory at Kathua, and 10 new Government medical colleges.
The survey also records major gains in health indicators, with the Infant Mortality Rate declining from 32.4 in 2015-16 to 14 in 2022, while the Neonatal Mortality Rate fell from 23.1 to 10.
Institutional deliveries, as per the survey, increased from 85.6 per cent to 99.7 per cent, full immunisation coverage reached 100 per cent, the sex ratio at birth improved from 923 to 976, and life expectancy rose from 70 to 74.3 years.
Under the AB-PMJAY SEHAT scheme, 87.64 lakh golden cards have been issued, enabling 18.87 lakh treatments and saving beneficiaries an estimated Rs 3,435 crore in out-of-pocket expenses.
Digital health initiatives have also expanded rapidly, with over 12.05 lakh teleconsultations conducted through the e-Sanjeevani platform, 107.88 lakh ABHA IDs created under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, 96.18 lakh health records linked, and 15.10 lakh users registered on the SEHAT app.
The Tele-MANAS mental health helpline has handled over 1.32 lakh calls.
As per the survey, the UT operates a fleet of 489 geo-tagged ambulances integrated with emergency services, maintaining response times below 30 minutes and serving over 5.26 lakh patients since August 2020, with 44 additional advanced life support ambulances being added.
Survey further notes that J&K has earned national recognition for its public health initiatives, including a Bronze Medal at the One World TB Summit 2023 for reducing tuberculosis incidence by over 20 per cent since 2015.
Districts such as Pulwama, Budgam and Anantnag have achieved TB-free status, while Srinagar and Kupwara received Gold Medals.
The UT has also topped the Food Safety Index for three consecutive years.
During 2025-26 up to December, as per the survey, 140 healthcare projects were completed, with 53 per cent of the allocated Rs 2,223.38 crore capital outlay utilised.
Looking ahead, J&K aims to achieve universal health coverage by 2030 and build an equitable, digitally empowered health and education ecosystem.
The post J&K health budget up Rs 480 cr, tops national target appeared first on Daily Excelsior.