Punjab Health Scheme: During the launch of the Chief Minister Health Scheme (MMSY), Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had said, “Worry about the treatment, not the bills. The government will become your pocket.” These words mean a lot to families like four-month-old Diljot, born to Rashpreet Kaur and Bharat Kumar in Abohar.
Diljot was found to have a serious infection and a ventricular septal defect (hole in the heart), which develops before birth. His parents took him to Bathinda for treatment, their only aim was to keep him alive. The cost of intensive care was very heavy, but after the help received from Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana, the situation became better.
Full cost of treatment covered
Diljot received specialized medical care, including round-the-clock monitoring, and his family never had to worry about money for a day. Bharat Kumar, who runs a small salon in Abohar, said, “The doctors told me that my daughter had a hole in her heart. She was treated in two different hospitals and the entire expense of ₹2.77 lakh was covered under the health card.”
Running under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the scheme ensures that no family has to choose between health and financial burden. Under the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana, every mother and newborn can get cashless treatment up to ₹10 lakh annually, whether in a government hospital or a listed private hospital, and this facility is available from the very first hours of the child’s life.
timely care of newborns
Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh said, “We are running programs in villages so that families get tested on time and do not delay treatment.” In the last three months alone, more than 6,000 newborn cases have been treated under the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana, which shows the growing reach of the scheme in providing timely medical care to newborns. The scheme helps treat low birth weight, prematurity, infections and other neonatal complications and strengthens maternal and postnatal health services.
Diljot’s case is not alone. Across Punjab, families are now bringing newborn babies to hospitals for treatment in the early days, because they are confident that they will not have to bear the expense.
Safety of the plan from other matters
The treatment of a newborn, who had severe jaundice along with difficulty in breathing, costing ₹1 lakh, was completely covered under the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana at Bathinda’s Aggarwal Hospital. Mankirat Singh of Gadhaya village in Patiala needed treatment for jaundice and respiratory problems a few days after birth. His father, Balwinder Singh, said, “My son was born on March 25 and had some health issues. We were worried about his health, but what we were more worried about was how we would afford the treatment. Thanks to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s scheme, the entire treatment expense was covered.”
Bimla Rani of Kotkapura, Faridkot recently gave birth to a baby boy, who needed neonatal care. According to a member of her family, her eighteen-day-old child is now safely receiving treatment under the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana.
Better health outcomes than planned
These cases show an increasing trend. Following the launch of Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana, most families from across Punjab are bringing mothers and newborns to hospital within the first 72 hours, improving health outcomes and reducing late complications.
The Punjab Government is continuously encouraging the residents to enroll for Sehat Card through designated centers and camps being organized at the grassroots level, so that they can avail the benefits of cashless treatment under the Chief Minister Sehat Yojana.