Chandigarh, June 3:- Taking a big step towards better delivery of health services to the people and reducing the increasing burden on government hospitals, the Bhagwant Mann government has approved 17 more medical procedures in private hospitals listed under the 'Mukham Mantri Sehat Yojana'. Along with this, the scope of the scheme has been expanded to include people living alone. This decision is being considered an important step towards expanding the state's health insurance scheme.
Punjab government's big decision regarding private schools, they will no longer be able to increase fees by more than 5% annually
For countless families in Punjab, going to the hospital is often considered to mean long queues, crowded wards and a long wait for treatment. With an aim to reduce this burden, the state government has made access to health services more accessible by allowing 17 medical procedures to be performed in listed private hospitals, which were earlier restricted to government hospitals only.
With this decision, the list of procedures reserved for government hospitals has been further reduced and now beneficiaries will get the opportunity to get treatment from a much larger healthcare network. Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said that this will improve the availability of health services, especially in those districts where specialist medical services are limited or there is a high dependency of patients on government hospitals. “This will reduce the pressure on big government hospitals, reduce waiting time and patients will be able to get treatment on time,” he said.
The newly approved procedures are related to various medical specialties, which will enable people to get treatment near their homes instead of having to go to crowded big hospitals.
Under ear, nose and throat treatment, operations like setting of nasal bone fractures and adenoidectomy will now be available in private hospitals listed. These are common operations that require timely treatment, especially for children and accident victims.
The biggest expansion has been made in the field of general surgery. Hydrocele operations, treatment of abscesses, appendix surgery and both open and laparoscopic gallbladder surgeries will now be available in private hospitals listed under the scheme. This will reduce the waiting time of patients and provide the benefit of treatment closer to home.
Women’s health services have also been given special priority. The expanded list includes abortion procedures beyond 12 weeks, hysterotomy, hospitalization for pregnancy-related complications and examination under anesthesia of minor girls, unmarried sexually inactive women and victims of sexual abuse.
With the inclusion of these services, the needy and vulnerable sections will be able to get treatment more easily and on time. Similarly, eye diseases and orthopedic services have also been strengthened. Now eye-related procedures like pterygium excision and entropion correction can also be done in private hospitals. At the same time, orthopedic patients will get the benefit of surgeries like tendon release, treatment of small joint injuries and ankle fracture operations. The package rates of these new procedures have been fixed from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 27,800.
With this announcement, another significant expansion of the scope of the scheme has been made. Now, individuals living alone, including senior citizens, widows and other people living independently, will also be able to take advantage of this scheme.
This health insurance program available to all was earlier limited to families with two or more members. Now, it will also benefit parents whose children are living abroad. It will be mandatory to submit Punjab Aadhaar card and voter identity card to apply, while applicants below the age of 18 will have to submit a birth certificate. Individuals living alone will have to submit a declaration for enrolment, which will be verified by the local elected representatives.
According to the state health agency report, about 65 lakh families have been covered under the scheme at present. At present, 824 hospitals, including government, central government and listed private hospitals, are providing treatment under the scheme. Covering about 2,300 diseases and medical procedures and constantly evolving, the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana has become an important health protection shield for the people of Punjab, extending the facility of cashless treatment to more people than ever before.