Punjab Govt launches Rs 10 lakh free healthcare scheme for every family
Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday launched the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna (MMSY) in Mohali, extending free treatment of up to ₹10 lakh to every family in the state. The scheme was inaugurated by National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
With the rollout of the scheme, even the most expensive private hospitals previously accessible only to the wealthy are open to the poor, marking a decisive shift in public welfare delivery.
Punjab, under the AAP government, has now become the first state in the country to guarantee free healthcare, free education, free electricity, and free bus travel for women, while Arvind Kejriwal asserts that power-hungry opposition parties remain consumed by internal battles, and that only the AAP can secure a safe future for Punjab. On this occasion, AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Singh Mann handed over Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna cards to some of the eligible beneficiaries.
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During the launch of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that today is not just a big and historic day for Punjab, but for the entire country. “The work that is going to be done in Punjab today should perhaps have been done back in 1950. All those who fought for independence did not struggle so that one day the British would leave and our own governments would be formed, only for those governments to do nothing for the people,” he said.
He pointed out that these are not ordinary clinics, and stated, “Over the last 75 years, the Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress governments together opened only 400 primary health centers, while the present government has built 1,000 mohalla clinics in just four years, and another 500 are under construction.”
“In the next four to five months, 2,500 ‘Pind Clinics’ will be opened in every village. The work that previous governments did in 75 years, this government has perhaps done ten times that in just four years,” Arvind Kejriwal asserted.
Arvind Kejriwal stated that the primary health centres of previous governments were locked up, with dogs roaming inside. “That is what their health centers were like. But the mohalla clinics that have now been built are splendid and air-conditioned,” he stated.
He added, “Those who have received treatment there know how good they are. When you go there, it doesn’t feel like a government hospital, but like a private clinic. Now, mohalla clinics are opening far and wide, in villages everywhere.”
The AAP Head further said that earlier, Punjab government hospitals faced a severe shortage of doctors. Over the past four years, 1100 specialist doctors have been recruited, and now there is no shortage of doctors in government hospitals. “Earlier, machines did not work, but now all machines have been installed, and each one is functioning properly,” he said.
He continued to highlight that earlier, medicines were not available, but now, medicine distribution counters have opened, and people are receiving free medicines. “Government hospitals have been made excellent,” he stated.
The AAP National Convenor said that sometimes a disease becomes so serious that one has to go to a private hospital. “Many people choose private hospitals for treatment. Therefore, today, such a Yojna (Scheme) is being implemented under which the best and most premium private hospitals of Punjab, where even the richest people go for treatment, will now also be accessible to the poorest farmers, labourers, and rickshaw pullers. They will not need to worry about money,” he continued.
Reiterating the core objective of the scheme, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that no citizen of Punjab will now be forced to skip treatment due to lack of money. “We pray for the good health and well-being of all Punjabis, but if someone falls ill, they no longer need to worry about arranging money for treatment,” he said. Sharing personal experiences, he said he knew families who had lost their entire savings on medical treatment and others who had surrendered to disease due to financial pressure. “If anyone registers for this scheme today, they become eligible for its benefits from today itself,” he said.
