A new study from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh has found a substantial increase in access to complex spine surgery at the institute following expanded utilisation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) public health insurance scheme.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma (2026), the research analysed 410 spine surgeries performed at PGIMER between January 2023 and December 2024. It showed a marked shift from self-financed procedures to those funded under PM-JAY during this period.
Results indicate that 67.3% of the cases (276 surgeries) were funded under PM-JAY, while 26.8% (110 surgeries) were self-financed. The share of surgeries covered by the scheme increased from 58.7% in 2023 to 73.5% in 2024, accompanied by a reduction in self-paid procedures from 37.8% to 18.9% — a shift the study identified as statistically significant.
Degenerative spinal disorders made up the largest portion of cases at 46.1%, followed by 33.4% for traumatic spinal injuries. The range of surgeries analysed included decompression, stabilisation and complex instrumented fusion procedures for trauma, deformity, tumour, infection and revision spine conditions.
All procedures funded under PM-JAY utilised implants approved within predefined reimbursement packages, largely featuring domestically manufactured devices. Early postoperative outcomes did not show major differences between PM-JAY-funded and other procedures.
Spine surgery has been defined as one of the most expensive areas of modern healthcare, noting that the rise in PM-JAY funding reflects the scheme’s growing role in reducing financial barriers to advanced surgical care. Publicly funded insurance under PM-JAY has substantially improved financial access to complex, implant-intensive spine surgery, while highlighting the ongoing need for policy evaluation and refinement to maximise long-term impact.
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