Punjab to launch health insurance scheme Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana

in total 43.18 lakh families of Punjab would be provided the annual health cover of Rs five lakh. 

Chandigarh:  Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Thursday said that the state government is all set to launch its flagship universal health insurance scheme ‘Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana’ (SSBY) from July one.

The health scheme, first of its kind in the state, will provide annual health cover of Rs five lakh per family to 43.18 lakh families of Punjab. All the formalities for the launch of this universal health scheme are completed and 364 private hospitals of the state have been empanelled where the beneficiaries could get secondary care and tertiary care treatment, the Minister said after presiding over the first meeting of CM’s consultative group of a universal health insurance scheme.

He said that in total 43.18 lakh families of Punjab would be provided the annual health cover of Rs five lakh. He said that these families are comprising of 14.86 lakh PMJAY families, 20.48 lakh other poor families possessing blue cards, 7.84 lakh families from various departments like five lakh farmers under Punjab Mandi Board, 46,000 families under Excise & Taxation department and 2.38 lakh construction workers registered with construction worker’s welfare board.

The Minister said that the state government has already prepared the database of 43.18 lakh beneficiaries. He said that all the public hospitals above CHC level are empanelled to provide secondary and tertiary care treatment to the beneficiaries. He said that around 400 private hospitals in Punjab have applied for empanelment, which is under process.

Mr Sidhu said that the cost of the premium for 14.86 lakh families covered under PMJAY as per SECC data shall be borne by the union government and state government in 60:40 ratio whereas for the rest of beneficiaries all the cost would be borne by the state government.

He said that a cashless health insurance cover of Rs five lakh per family per year would be provided. Beneficiaries could avail the cashless secondary care and tertiary treatment in empanelled public and private hospitals of Punjab and Chandigarh.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Satish Chandra appraised the members present in the meeting that to facilitate the beneficiaries 194 Ayushman Mitras have been appointed in the public hospitals of Punjab whereas Deputy Medical Commissioners have been nominated as District Nodal Officer under the scheme. Likewise, the insurance agency has established project offices and its state and district implementation units to facilitate the beneficiaries to claim insurance cover.