Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna: Mann rolls out Rs 10-lakh medical cover for all 65 lakh families

Addressing a gathering in Mohali after launching the scheme, Kejriwal said, “No one (in Punjab) is excluded. All 65 lakh families are covered. We had given this guarantee before the elections. This was called Kejriwal’s guarantee”.

He said, in the past 75 years, several governments came, but they did not take care of people despite making tall claims. “Beware of these traditional parties. Do not commit the mistake of giving them your vote again. It was the nature that helped formation of AAP. Otherwise, neither I nor Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain had the money. Waheguru helped this party.”

Stating that last four years (of AAP rule) would be written in golden words in the history of Punjab, he said the traditional political parties would not believe that “we will provide free healthcare and free power” to the people. “We gave free power to all, good schools are coming up, women enjoy free travel and now we are providing free healthcare,” he said.

He said during the previous Congress dispensation, both Captain Amarinder Singh and his successor Charanjit Singh Channi used to say that the treasury was empty and that the government was running in deficit. “They said that Kejriwal was roaming around peddling lies about free electricity, free healthcare, and free education, and that none of this was possible because there was no money. But the AAP government proved that all the guarantees could indeed be fulfilled,” he added.

Targeting the previous governments, Kejriwal said that in 75 years, merely 400 primary health centres came up in Punjab. “We have set up 1,000 ‘mohalla’ clinics in the past four years and 500 more will come up in the state. In next 4-5 months, we will set up 2,500 pind clinics in the villages. Our mohalla clinics are grand. Those are air-conditioned. Over 1000 doctors and specialists have been hired in the state. Now there is no shortage of doctors in government hospitals,” he further said.

Heaping praise on Mann, the AAP convenor said, “Your Chief Minister works 24 hours a day. Their (other parties’) chief ministers are in Davos in Switzerland. Your CM is sitting here, inaugurating the healthcare scheme. He may be feeling like traveling. His wife would also be saying that they should travel to Switzerland. He has a daughter who would be wanting to travel. But he is here,” Kejriwal said.

Mann said it was a historic day for Punjab in the healthcare sector. The ‘Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna’ is the biggest health scheme since independence, he said, adding the the scheme has been launched for the welfare of every section of society, inspired by the teachings of Guru Sahiban. “Health cards will be issued to all 65 lakh families, covering nearly three crore citizens of Punjab,” he said, adding that for the first time no income limit has been fixed for any health scheme in the state.

“With the launch of this scheme today, Punjab has set a new benchmark for the entire country,” Mann said, underlining that Punjab has now become the first state to provide free healthcare, free education, free electricity, and free bus travel for women.

Explaining the scope of the initiative, Mann said that from government employees and pensioners to and every other resident would be eligible for the health card. “These cards can be obtained from facilitation centres and Common Service Centres, or through online registration using Aadhaar card or voter card,” he said, adding that youth club members would also assist citizens by making cards door to door. He further stated that 850 government and private hospitals have already been empanelled under the scheme and more will be added in the coming days.

He said that more than 2,356 treatment packages have been included under the scheme, compared to 1,600 earlier. “Specialised treatments such as Orthopaedics, General Medicine, Cardiology, Neurology, Nephrology, Urology, Oncology, and several others are being offered,” he said.

Taking a dig at BJP-led Union government, he said, “Our scheme is inclusive. Everybody is covered. On the contrary, not a single household in Punjab is covered under Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY). They say the houses should not be bricked. They do not cover the house under the scheme if it has an LPG cylinder. First they give a cylinder under Ujjawala Yojana and then they say because the household has a cylinder, it would not get benefit under PMAY. People are now willing to let go of their cylinder to take benefit from PMAY.”

Cautioning people against traditional party leaders, Mann said, “They all want to become chief ministers. The CM is a Mukh Sewadar. He has so many responsibilities. I wonder why they are so eager to serve. Truth is that they want Mewa and do not want to do sewa. They want power for money and money for power”.

He said, “We have not even completed four years yet. We have given 63,000 jobs. There is not a single village where youths have not got jobs,” he said as he was seconded by a youth from the participants saying 16 youths from his village had got jobs.