Page 17 - Insurance Times December 2022

just over 40% of countries have road traction on use of PHR applications sues. This time we are doing it compre-
design standards that make walking among subscribers,'' the official said. hensively and will audit it (the health
and cycling safer. sector) on common parameters, com-
The process of issuing Ayushman cards
mon objectives, and common risk
under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya
Ahyushman Bharat heallth Yojna (PM-JAY) to account holders is analyses so that the entire country's
picture is accounted for," a senior offi-
a/cs reach 25-crore mile- also being hastened. While over 6 lakh cial told.
cards are being issued per day, it will
stone Earlier, state-level auditors general
be increased to 10 lakh cards per day
The subscriber base of Ayushman (AGs) would choose a subject such as
shortly. As of now, over 20 crore cards
Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) has been issued, the official said. health management, procurement, or
vacancies, and audit particular aspects
touched the milestone of 25 crore, giv-
of that.
ing a major push to the government's
CAG looks to condust au-
efforts to digitise the health infrastruc- For instance, a CAG report had shown
ture. dit of country's health earlier this year the health sector in
Bihar was far from optimum because
ABHA subscribers are being given a cover
there was a significant shortfall of fa-
Health Card with a unique identity The Comptroller and Auditor General
cilities and staff.
number, to link all healthcare benefits,
of India (CAG) is in the process of do-
Ths CAG had conducted performance
ranging from public health ing a comprehensive audit of the
audits in five districts - Patna,
programmes to insurance schemes and country's health sector, and is adopt-
Biharsharif, Hajipur, Jehanabad, and
the ABHA number. ing an approach different from its ear-
Madhepura - for the period 2014-15 to
"We have received an encouraging lier exercises, whose remit was rela-
2019-20, and found a 52-92 per cent
response, with the subscriber base tively narrow.
shortage of beds under the Indian Pub-
touching 25 crore and campaigns be- "Earlier we were auditing on the basis lic Health Standards in the district hos-
ing run through various modes, includ- of some research and state-specific is- pitals.
ing FM radio, to further popularise
ABHA,'' a senior official told
Star Health sprints past competitors in retail,
BusinessLine.
gains 34% market share
ABHA is part of the Ayushman Bharat
Digital Mission (ABDM), which aims to Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd, a standalone health insurer, con-
tinues to outpace industry growth and gain market share in the retail health
develop the backbone necessary to
segment.
support the integrated digital health
infrastructure of the country. It will The health insurance industry, including PA (personal accident), grew by 15.1
bridge the existing gap amongst differ- per cent in the September quarter, supported by 18 per cent growth in the
ent stakeholders of the healthcare group health and 17 per cent growth in the retail health segments, accord-
ecosystem through digital highways. ing to the Chennai-headquartered company.
Apart from a `trustable' unique iden- In comparison, it recorded 22 per cent growth in its retail health segment,
garnering 34 per cent market share in the segment, which is three times
tity, the ABHA ID card provides unified
that of the second largest player in the industry.
benefits, hassle-free access to
healthcare facilities across the country, "We continue to grow faster than the market rate and are increasing our
and a seamless sign-up for Personal retail health market share," said Anand Roy, Managing Director, during the
Health Records (PHR) applications such Q2FY23 earnings call.
as ABDM ABHA application for health During the first half of this fiscal, the company's retail health market share
data storage and sharing. stood at 33 per cent, an increase of 200 basis points over the year-ago
"This helps create a record of one's period. Its agency business, which grew 19 per cent in H1FY23, accounted
for 82 per cent share. Premium collected through the corporate agent seg-
own health, including the diagnostic
ment, which includes banks and other tie-ups, grew 44 per cent during the
reports and other data in a secure way
first half of this fiscal.
in a mobile app. We find increasing
The Insurance Times December 2022 15