Awareness, coverage, and utilization of Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Rural and Urban Tripura: A comparative cross-sectional study

Shampa D, Chanda M, Dwaipayan D, Achintya P, Krishi MSK, Akshara N

Pdf Page Numbers :- 47-52

Das Shampa^1,*, Mog Chanda¹, Datta Dwaipayan¹, Pal Achintya², Mura Singh Kumar Krishi¹, and Akshara N¹

¹Department of Community Medicine, Agartala Government Medical College, Agartala, Tripura 799006, India

²Department of General Medicine, Agartala Government Medical College, Agartala, Tripura 799006, India

*Corresponding author: Dr. Shampa Das, Department of Community Medicine, Agartala Government Medical College, Agartala, Tripura 799006, India. Email: drshampa777@gmail.com

Received 16 January 2026; Revised 4 March 2026; Accepted 16 March 2026; Published 25 March 2026

Citation: Shampa D, Chanda M, Dwaipayan D, Achintya P, Krishi MSK, Akshara N. Awareness, coverage, and utilization of Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Rural and Urban Tripura: A comparative cross-sectional study. J Med Sci Res. 2026; 14(2):47-52. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17727/JMSR.2026/14-9

Copyright: © 2026 Shampa D et al. Published by KIMS Foundation and Research Center. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Abstract

Introduction: Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is a flagship health insurance scheme aimed at providing financial protection against catastrophic health expenditure. This study aimed to assess the awareness, coverage, and utilization of AB-PMJAY among households in the Urban Health Training Centre (UHTC) and Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC) areas of Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC), Tripura, and to compare these parameters between the two areas.

Methods: A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 households in the UHTC and RHTC areas of AGMC using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested, predesigned semi-structured interview schedule and analyzed using SPSS version 29.

Results: Good awareness regarding AB-PMJAY was observed among 31.25% of urban and 45.26% of rural participants among those who heard about it. Coverage under the scheme was reported by 57% of households in urban areas and 64% in rural areas. The utilization rate was 22% in urban areas and 42% in rural areas. Significant rural–urban differences were observed in ever using the AB-PMJAY card (p = 0.02), type of healthcare facility utilized (p = 0.003), and incurring out-of-pocket expenditure despite possessing an AB-PMJAY card (p = 0.004). The common reasons for non-utilization included lack of knowledge regarding the purpose of the card (44%) and lack of awareness about where and how to use it (37%).

Conclusion: Awareness, coverage, and utilization of AB-PMJAY were comparatively better among rural households than urban households. Strengthening community awareness campaigns may improve the utilization of the scheme.

Keywords: Awareness; coverage; utilization; Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana; AB-PMJAY