A new scheme offering free medical treatment of upto Rs 10 Lakh is all set to be rolled in Punjab on January 15. The announcement was made by the Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh during a press conference held in Chandigarh. He told that the said scheme will be officially rolled out by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
Talking about the scheme he informed that this will provide a health insurance scheme to 3 crore people in Punjab. The minister states that the cards would be issued at more than 9,000 Common Service Centers, camps will also be organized for the same. People would be eligible for treatment once they are successfully enrolled. The cards would take approximately 10 to 15 days to arrive. The government plans to cover the entire state of Punjab within four months.
The Minister assured the public that only minimal formalities would be required to enroll in the scheme. The basic requirements for application would be a Punjab Aadhaar Card and voter ID card. It is estimated that around 65 lakh families in the state would benefit from the scheme. The scheme would cover all emergency and chronic care, including approximately 2200 medical procedures. However, any cosmetic surgery is not included in the cover. Other few procedures that could be misused have been placed in a reserved category.
1. More than nine thousand camps to be set up: The Health Minister states that more than nine thousand camps will be set up in urban and rural areas through Common Service Centers for the scheme. The scheme aims to ensure that everyone receives their cards within three months.
2. Pensioners, government employees and common people will be included in the scheme; the only condition that applies is that the person must be a resident of Punjab, they must have a voter ID and Aadhaar card of Punjab.
3. The impact of Mohalla Clinics will be visible in the next five to ten years: The Minister says that kidney and liver failures will be prevented, many other chronic diseases like cancer will start to see a steep decline, as people would get medication in a timely manner.
4. Punjab residents would not have to worry about expense: The minister says that when a serious illness strikes people are unfortunately pushed into a debt trap. And if, the the breadwinner of the family falls ill, and doesn't survive, the family left behind is crushed with difficulties. He assures that now such families would not have to worry about the treatment costs anymore.
The minister says that the scheme fits within the budget, is based off a hybrid model.
