In a major reprieve to weaker and underprivilegedsections of society, the Health and Family Welfare Minister Mr. Balbir SinghSidhu today announced that Punjab Government led by Chief Minister CaptainAmarinder Singh has decided to provide free treatment to COVID-19 patientsfalling under Sarbat Sehat Beema Yojna in empanelled Private hospitals.
The Health Minister said that the facility will beavailable in the hospitals equipped for offering COVID-19 treatment at caprates ranging from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 18,000 per day, which are the same ratesthat have been fixed for Private hospitals in the State for the general public.He said that the State Government will bear the entire differential treatmentcost derived after deducting the cost payable by the Insurance Company from thecap rates. Mr Sidhu unequivocally said that cap rates are all-inclusive, thatincludes bed, PPE kits, medicines, consumables, monitoring/nursing care,Doctor’s fee, investigations, oxygen, etc.
The Minister said that SSBY beneficiaries can directlyvisit empanelled Private hospitals without any need for a referral from thePublic hospitals for COVID-19 treatment adding that this initiative shall bringan immense relief to the vulnerable and deprived section of the Statepopulation, who will now be able to avail level 2 and level 3 treatment care inempanelled Private hospitals. He said that earlier, the treatment available inthese empanelled Private hospitals was payable as per SSBY scheme rates fixedby Government of India that range from Rs. 1,800 to Rs. 4,500, which were tooless to be viable for the hospital to meet expenses of treatment of a COVID-19patient that entails additional cost on account of PPE kits, masks,consumables, isolation, etc.
Mr Sidhu said that though the treatment of COVID-19beneficiary patients were totally free in the Public hospitals right from thebeginning, however, to provide relief to a large section of the society, theState Government decided to bear the additional expenses and allow freetreatment of COVID-19 patients in empanelled Private hospitals at cap ratesunder the scheme.
The Health Minister shared that since its launch,Ayushman Bharat Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana has shown consistent growth and uptakeacross the State. With over 6.77 lakh treatments worth Rs. 748 Crores, 867empaneled hospitals (241 Public Hospitals and 626 Private Hospitals) and over76% of entitled families distributed e‐cards, AB-SSBY hasbeen accelerating its growth trajectory. He said that due to thesecond surge of COVID‐19 pandemic engulfing the entire Stateand overwhelming the healthcare infrastructure, the Public hospitals had tocut-back on elective surgeries/non-COVID treatment to focus on tacklingemergent COVID-19 crises. Mr Sidhu said that Therefore, in order to facilitatehassle-free treatment to the beneficiaries under the scheme, the StateGovernment has recently de-reserved 55 Government hospital reserved surgicaltreatments, enabling the beneficiaries to get these treatments done inempanelled Private hospitals as well.
The Health and Family Welfare Minister stressed that forsuccessful implementation of AB-SSBY, it is crucial to harness the ever‐growingpotential of the private healthcare sector, as well as significantlyenhance the infrastructure and quality of care available at publichospitals to ensure poor and marginalized people get access to essentialhealthcare. He said that it is also equally critical to monitor thequality and appropriateness of care and have a clear set of guidelines for hospitalsto make their staff and beneficiary aware of the preventive measureand ensure their safety during this pandemic time. Mr Sidhusaid that "Providing 6.77 lakh treatments (4.01 lakh in Private and 2.75lakh in Government Hospitals) to patients from the State's poorest householdssince its launch, is a milestone achievement for the scheme”.
The Health and Family Welfare Minister emphasized thatthe aim is to ensure financial risk protection to around 39.57 lakh poorest,most vulnerable families in the State and is a step forward towards achievementof universal health coverage in the State.