MoU reaffirms commitment to evaluating clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and equity impact of medical technologies under AB-PMJAY
The National Health Authority (NHA), the implementing agency of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Health Research (DHR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The renewed collaboration aims to further strengthen technical cooperation for evidence-based decision-making to optimise healthcare resource allocation and enhance quality across India’s flagship health schemes.
The MoU was formally signed by Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO, National Health Authority, and Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, ICMR. Senior officials including Jyoti Yadav, Joint Secretary (AB-PMJAY), Dr Pankaj Arora, Director (NHA), and representatives from the Red Cross Society were present on the occasion.
The partnership between NHA and DHR/ICMR, initially established in November 2019, successfully leveraged Health Technology Assessment (HTA) principles to support NHA in optimizing Health Benefit Packages (HBPs) under AB-PMJAY. The renewed MoU reaffirms the shared commitment to evaluating the clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and equity impact of medical technologies, procedures, and devices covered under the scheme.
Expanding its scope, the renewed agreement will also extend the collaboration to the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). Under this, DHR and ICMR, through the Health Technology Assessment India (HTAIn) initiative, will provide data-driven insights to evaluate digital health interventions—including electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine platforms, and AI-based diagnostics—to ensure their affordability, efficiency, and sustainability within the ABDM ecosystem.
Key areas of collaboration include:
Costing of Healthcare Services: Utilising cost data from the National Costing Initiative to rationalize reimbursement rates for healthcare procedures in both public and private sectors under PM-JAY.
Standard Treatment Workflows: Implementing Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) developed by DHR/ICMR’s expert committees to ensure appropriate disease management, reduce unnecessary care, and enhance quality service delivery.
Operational Research: Conducting targeted health systems research to address implementation challenges in AB-PMJAY, improve patient safety, and strengthen healthcare delivery.
This renewed partnership underscores the collective commitment of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Health Authority, and Indian Council of Medical Research towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by ensuring equitable access to safe, high-quality, and affordable healthcare for all beneficiaries.
