Srinagar, Oct 27: Despite government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, SEHAT and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), women in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir continue to face financial and logistical hurdles in accessing maternity care.

AB-PMJAY, extended to J&K through SEHAT, provides health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family annually for eligible hospitalisation. JSSK provides free services to pregnant women and sick newborns at government health facilities, including delivery and caesarean-section services, medicines, diagnostics, blood transfusions and transportation.
However, the benefits remain difficult to access for women living in remote mountainous villages, where inadequate local healthcare facilities force families to travel to larger hospitals.
Women from villages in Kangan tehsil of Ganderbal district face difficult journeys, sometimes relying on horses or expensive private transport to reach medical facilities. Ambulance services are not always readily accessible, and families may have to pay substantial amounts for transportation and fuel.
Even after reaching government hospitals, patients often incur additional expenses on medicines, food and accommodation. These costs place a disproportionate burden on economically vulnerable families from remote areas.
Lack of awareness further limits access to healthcare benefits. Many women remain unfamiliar with SEHAT and other schemes, while frontline health workers play a crucial role in informing families about available services.
Accessing SEHAT can also involve documentation and beneficiary-identification requirements, with Aadhaar serving as a primary identification mechanism. Such procedures may complicate access for some beneficiaries.
Healthcare professionals have also highlighted administrative and referral-related challenges for patients seeking treatment outside their home districts. Questions regarding referrals and the availability of similar services at district hospitals can create difficulties in processing benefits.
The experience of rural women highlights the gap between healthcare entitlements and their actual delivery. Improving emergency transport, strengthening local health facilities, raising awareness and simplifying referral procedures are essential to ensure that government maternity schemes provide meaningful relief to women in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir.