Greater Noida – Air Marshal (Dr) Pawan Kapoor, AVSM, VSM and Bar (retd), Vice Chancellor, Lincoln American University, was invited to a two-day knowledge sharing conference on implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana of the Government of India as the Chief Guest at Sharda Hospital.
During his keynote address, he emphasised the necessity of capacity building to meet the human resource and infrastructural requirements of this flagship scheme of the Honorable PM of India. He further stated that the objective of the scheme is to ensure that no one is left behind in our quest to achieve universal health coverage. According to him, no one should choose between health and the essentials of life; no one should choose between buying medicines and buying food.
The event brought together senior healthcare professionals, administrators, policy experts, and government representatives for detailed discussions.
The conference aimed to review progress in delivering accessible, high-quality healthcare to beneficiaries while identifying future challenges and solutions. Key discussions included beneficiary registration, availability of health benefit packages, coordination with hospitals, and steps taken to prevent misuse.
Air Marshal Dr. Pawan Kapoor emphasized that the conference underscored the AB-PMJAY’s core objectives, which are to offer financial health protection to poor and vulnerable families and advance universal health coverage.
He lauded Sharda Hospital’s exemplary work in healthcare and attributed its success to strong leadership. Dr. Kapoor noted that while private hospitals face implementation challenges, the scheme’s scale is significant worldwide and benefits economically disadvantaged families. He also pointed out that implementing such a scheme effectively at the grassroots level requires time.
Sharda Group Chairman Dr. P.K. Gupta described AB-PMJAY as a transformative initiative, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for extending better healthcare to economically weaker sections. Highlighting Sharda Hospital’s longstanding commitment to low-cost patient care, he said education and healthcare remain the highest forms of service. Dr. Gupta shared that over 25,000 patients have already benefited under the scheme and expressed confidence in its continued success, which reaffirms the group’s dedication to public service.
The conference also aimed to inspire faculty and students to contribute to national progress. Distinguished attendees included Retired Major General Dr. Atul Kotwal, Pro-Chancellor Dr. V.K. Gupta, CEO Mr. Prashant Gupta, Medical Superintendent Dr. Ram Murthy Sharma, and other eminent guests.
