Mohali, January 22: The Punjab government officially launched the Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojna (MMSY) today, January 22, marking a major expansion of the state’s healthcare safety net. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, alongside AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, rolled out the universal health insurance scheme that provides free, cashless medical treatment of up to INR 10 lakh per family annually. Unlike previous iterations, this flagship initiative covers all 65 lakh families in the state, regardless of income, occupation, or landholding status.

Under this scheme, three crore Punjabis from 65 lakh families in Punjab will receive health insurance coverage of up to INR 10 lakh per year at over 900 government and private hospitals in Punjab and Chandigarh.

Universal Coverage and Eligibility

The Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojna is designed for total inclusivity, moving away from the "target-based" models of the past. To avail of the benefits, residents only require two documents: a Punjab Aadhaar card and a Voter ID. Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna: Bhagwant Mann-Led Punjab Government to Provide Free Medical Treatment Up to INR 10 Lakh From January.

According to Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, the scheme is a significant upgrade from the previous INR 5 lakh cover provided under the Ayushman Bharat-Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana. For families already covered under the central Ayushman Bharat scheme, the state will provide an additional top-up to ensure their total coverage reaches the INR 10 lakh threshold.

'Hybrid' Financial Model by the Punjab Government

To ensure the scheme remains financially viable and to avoid the reimbursement delays that plagued earlier programs, the government has adopted a hybrid implementation mode:

Insurance Partner: United India Insurance Company will settle all claims up to INR 1 lakh.

State Health Agency (SHA): For more complex treatments costing between INR 1 lakh and INR 10 lakh, the SHA will settle claims directly with hospitals on a "trust basis".

The state has allocated a corpus of approximately INR 1,500 crore for the current fiscal year to support these payouts.

Wide Network and Procedures

Beneficiaries can access secondary and tertiary care across a network of over 824 empanelled hospitals, including 212 public hospitals, 8 central government facilities (such as PGIMER Chandigarh), and over 600 private hospitals. The scheme covers more than 2,200 medical procedures, encompassing:

Door-to-Door Registration

In a bid to achieve 100 per cent saturation, the government has announced a door-to-door distribution of "Sehat Cards". Youth club volunteers are being deployed to distribute tokens, which residents can then use at designated local camps to receive their permanent health cards free of cost. The Health Minister has warned of strict legal action against any individuals charging money for these cards, citing recent FIRs registered in Muktsar and Mansa for such illegal practices.

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