Health Security of Unorganised Construction Workers Through Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) Special reference to the Haldwani Development Block

Abstract

Purpose of the study – This study explores the Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) in the Haldwani Development Block of Uttarakhand, focusing on awareness, utilization, and impact among unorganized construction workers. It also assesses the scheme's accessibility in rural and urban areas within the study area. Design/methodology/approach – The present study is based on descriptive and analytical research design. The cross-sectional study was conducted within the rural and urban parts of the study area. The study is based on primary data and the data was collected through a close-ended interview schedule with the sample size of N = 384, which is determined through William Cochran’s methods for infinite population size. Statistical tool – Descriptive statistics has been used for summarizing the result of the study and in the inferential statistics Spearmen’s rank correlation, Chi-Square, one sample t-test and Likert Scale Analysis have been used. Conclusion - The study reveals that in the case of awareness, the schemes were successful but there is substantial gaps exist in the utilization of Ayushman Bharat Schemes (PM-JAY) among the unorganised construction workers. The researcher found a weak negative correlation coefficient between the level of education and awareness, enrollment and availing the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat schemes. Rural respondents have received more benefits than urban respondents. Enrolment in Ayushman Bharat leads to significant reductions in annual healthcare expenditure. This suggests that PM-JAY helps reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs, making medical services more affordable to unorganised construction workers. On average, respondents reported a moderately positive perception regarding the shift of their healthcare utilization from informal to formal channels due to PM-JAY.