Punjab to provide Rs 10 lakh universal health insurance cover to 65 lakh families
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced a universal health insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh per annum for 65 lakh families under the Mukh Mantri Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana.
Under the scheme, each of the 65 lakh families in the state will be entitled to up to Rs 10 lakh cashless health insurance at all government and empanelled private hospitals.
In its 2025-26 budget, the Aam Aadmi Party government had announced that it would extend Rs 10 lakh per annum insurance cover each for all the families in Punjab. A sum of Rs 778 crore was allocated for this purpose.
So far, 45 lakh families in Punjab are enrolled in government health insurance schemes: 16 lakh families are covered under the Central government’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana and 29 lakh families are covered under Punjab government’s Mukh Mantri Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana, according to PTI news agency.
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While these two schemes have been providing a cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per annum, Mann said that his government will now provide an additional top-up cover of Rs 5 lakh under both.
Speaking at an event held on Tuesday to announce the universal health insurance, the chief minister said that Punjab has now become the first state to provide cashless treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh.
He said several people in the state are suffering from serious ailments but they just give up because they cannot afford quality treatment due to the high costs involved.
Lashing out at the previous governments for “neglecting” people’s health, Mann said that now treatment will be free in all the government and empanelled private hospitals, providing a huge succour to the common man.
No residents in the state will have to shell out even a single penny from their pockets now to avail treatment for serious ailments, he added.
AAP national convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was also present at the event.
Crediting Kejriwal for bringing sectors like health, education, power, water and infrastructure to the centre stage of national politics, Mann said these sectors continue to be the top five priorities for his government as well.
In his address, Kejriwal lauded the Mukh Mantri Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana. “This work being done today should have been done in the country 50 years ago. But unfortunately, it was never on the agenda of those who ruled the nation,” he said.
The AAP chief said that the scheme will become operational from October 2.
“This is a step towards providing universal health care and ensuring that people get cashless treatment worth up to Rs 10 lakh,” he said, adding that earlier, a family could avail treatment for only up to Rs 5 lakh, which has now been increased, reports PTI.
Kejriwal said that AAP has always focused on providing quality health and education to people, while those who claim to make the country ‘Vishvaguru’ have hitherto denied these facilities to people, due to which India has lagged behind.
Countries like Singapore, Japan and Germany have excelled because they have focused on these areas, he said.
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