{"id":116643,"date":"2026-04-23T19:22:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=116643"},"modified":"2026-04-23T19:22:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:52:48","slug":"from-cities-to-smallest-towns-patients-billed-in-lakhs-are-walking-out-with-zero-payment-say-doctors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=116643","title":{"rendered":"From cities to smallest towns, patients billed in lakhs are walking out with zero payment, say doctors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With over 40 lakh registrations spanning cities & small towns, Punjab\u2019s health scheme sees widening reach and rising utilisation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthcare is no longer dictated by affordability, every family now has \u20b910 lakh cover under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna: Dr Balbir Singh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Tier-1 to Tier-3 districts, rising utilisation shows Punjab\u2019s health model is scaling rapidly across every region<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHANDIGARH, April 2026 : <\/strong>Punjab\u2019s healthcare landscape is witnessing a decisive transformation under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, with the AAP Government delivering what it promised: accessible, affordable, and dignified healthcare for every family. For years, high treatment costs forced patients to delay care, skip diagnostics, or abandon medicines midway, pushing families into debt and worsening medical outcomes. That cycle, entrenched across both urban and rural Punjab, is now being broken through systemic intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of this transformation is the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna (MMSY), a flagship initiative of the Bhagwant Mann Government that is rapidly reshaping how people access healthcare. In just three months, over 40 lakh health cards have been issued, ensuring coverage of up to \u20b910 lakh per family annually. The scale of adoption reflects both urgency and trust. On April 21 alone, 28766 registrations were carried out under the scheme, signalling a healthcare system that is now responsive, inclusive, and people-centric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact is visible across districts. Ludhiana leads with 4.20 lakh cards, followed by Patiala with 3.82 lakh cards, and Jalandhar with 2.85 lakh cards. Crucially, the reach of the scheme is not confined to major cities. Tier-2 and Tier-3 districts such as Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Mansa, Fazilka, and Barnala are witnessing steady uptake, demonstrating that the AAP Government\u2019s healthcare push is penetrating deep into smaller towns where the need has long been the greatest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most powerful validation, however, is coming from the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Sub-Divisional Hospital Khanna, Senior Medical Officer Dr Maninder Singh Bhasin emphasised the shift, stating, \u201cHealth should not be a privilege. Earlier coverage was limited, but now every resident is included.\u201d He added, \u201cWe have done over 200 gall bladder surgeries in recent months. Ideally it costs around \u20b940,000 to \u20b980,000, but patients paid nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlighting the scale of change, he further said, \u201cKnee and hip replacements costing over \u20b91 lakh are now routine. We perform about 10 surgeries daily, all cashless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On critical care, Dr Maninder Singh Bhasin noted, \u201cIn STEMI heart attacks, every minute matters. With Tenecteplase, a thrombolytic medication used to rapidly dissolve blood clots during acute heart attacks, we restore blood flow quickly. We have saved close to 100 patients so far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Karan Chopra from Barnala echoed similar trends, stating, \u201cPatients earlier delayed surgery for months. Now they come earlier. Savings per surgery are \u20b91\u20131.5 lakh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh underscored the vision driving this transformation, stating, \u201cHealthcare should not depend on a patient\u2019s ability to pay or travel. With the Sehat card under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, every family is covered up to \u20b910 lakh annually. Our goal is to ensure the best possible treatment reaches every household without financial burden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bhagwant Mann Government is not merely expanding healthcare infrastructure but redefining the very relationship between citizens and the system. By removing financial barriers, it is ensuring that medical decisions are guided by need, not cost. Doctors across Punjab point out that the most profound change is psychological: a visible reduction in fear, as families now seek treatment at the earliest signs of illness instead of waiting for conditions to worsen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is governance that directly touches lives. This is reform that restores dignity. And this is the Bhagwant Mann Government delivering healthcare as a right, not a privilege.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With over 40 lakh registrations spanning cities & small towns, Punjab\u2019s health scheme sees widening reach and rising utilisation Healthcare is no longer dictated by affordability, every family now has \u20b910 lakh cover under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna: Dr Balbir Singh From Tier-1 to Tier-3 districts, rising utilisation shows Punjab\u2019s health model is scaling rapidly …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":116645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[143],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-116643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state","tag-state"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116646,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116643\/revisions\/116646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/116645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116643"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=116643"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=116643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}