The state government of Punjab has signed an agreement with the United India Insurance Company to launch a cashless health insurance scheme called ‘Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna’ on January 15. The scheme will provide a cashless health insurance cover of up to Rs 10 lakh per family per year to all residents of Punjab, including government employees and pensioners. This is a significant expansion of the earlier health protection scheme, which had a coverage limit of Rs 5 lakh and was limited to specific categories.
The new scheme aims to provide total inclusivity, with no income cap or exclusion criteria. Enrolment for the scheme will be made simple and accessible through Common Service Centres (CSCs) using only Aadhaar and voter IDs. Beneficiaries will receive dedicated MMSY health cards, and a helpline will be launched soon to facilitate the process.
The United India Insurance Company will provide coverage of Rs 100,000 per family for all 65 lakh families in the state. For treatment requirements between Rs 100,000 and Rs 10,00,000, the insurance will be provided by the state health agency on a trust basis. The scheme adopts the latest health benefit package, ensuring comprehensive coverage through more than 2,000 selected treatment packages.
Beneficiaries can access secondary and tertiary care across a robust network of 824 empanelled hospitals, which includes 212 public hospitals, eight government of India hospitals, and over 600 private hospitals. The number of empanelled hospitals is expected to increase further as the scheme progresses. The scheme will be formally launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on January 15.
The state government has emphasized that the scheme is designed to provide comprehensive health coverage to all residents of Punjab, regardless of their income or social status. The scheme’s operational framework has been designed to ensure that beneficiaries can access quality healthcare services without having to worry about the financial burden. With the launch of this scheme, Punjab is taking a significant step towards providing universal health coverage to its residents.