Chandigarh, March 20 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday listed several health sector initiatives his government has taken, announcing that 100 more 'Aam Aadmi Clinics' will become operational this month, with 400 more to follow.
Mann said previous governments had neglected the health sector, but it has been a key focus sector for the AAP government.
The CM, at a press conference here, said that tendering for medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur has been done.
"All formalities have been completed. For a medical college in Malerkotla, land has been purchased, and on Eid, I will visit Malerkotla and will gift it to the people," he said.
With his government completing four years in office this week, on Friday, Mann presented the four-year report card of the health sector, after earlier detailing the AAP government's work in agriculture and irrigation.
The Punjab CM said his government started Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana under which cashless medical treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh will be provided to every family.
About the Aam Aadmi Clinics, Mann said that 883 are operational, in which various kinds of tests and medicines are free, and 100 more will be dedicated on March 28 and 400 more clinics are being set up, he said.
The CM said the number of people visiting the OPD in the Aam Aadmi Clinics has crossed five crore, indicating people's trust in them.
About the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, Mann said 25 lakh beneficiaries have been registered under the scheme so far and 1.60 lakh people have availed treatment.
To run the scheme smoothly, in the current fiscal, a provision of Rs 1,200 crore has been kept while Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna' for 2026-27, he said.
As against this, the Centre has earmarked Rs 9,300 crore for the Ayushman Bharat scheme. For over three crore people in our state, we have provided Rs 2,000 crore under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, he said.
Mann alleged that several conditions under the Ayushman Bharat scheme limit the number of beneficiaries.
The chief minister was accompanied by state Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh.
The Punjab government scheme offers cashless treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh per family per annum, with no income cap, in the government and private hospitals empanelled across the state.
Raising concern over misinformation, Mann said, "Some anti-Punjab forces who don't want people to benefit from such facilities are spreading canards about this scheme. These misnomers are aimed at discouraging people from availing its benefits, which is unwarranted and undesirable."
He added that the Punjab Government has empanelled the majority of private hospitals under the scheme, with government-fixed rates for around 2,600 ailments and treatments.
He noted, "Around 900 government and private hospitals in Punjab and Chandigarh have been empanelled. The scheme covers 2,356 medical and surgical procedures, including orthopaedics, general medicine, heart, lung, kidney diseases, cancer treatment, and more."
Mann said detailed brochures regarding the Mukh Mantri Sehat scheme will be available in Aam Aadmi Clinics soon.
He claimed that 94 per cent of patients have expressed satisfaction with treatment at these clinics, calling it the country's best model.
Mann, whose government completed four years in office this week, said 948 general doctors and 627 specialist doctors have been recruited during the past four years.
"The recruitment alone constitutes 35 per cent of the total strength of government doctors. Earlier, even medicines were not available in government hospitals," he said.
Mann gave details about several other initiatives taken by his government in the health sector. He said 22 critical care blocks are under construction, and each block has a 50-bed capacity.
The CM said the government has introduced first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence-enabled screening devices for early detection of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and refractive errors.
Highlighting preventive health initiatives, he said, "Under the CM Ki Yogshala campaign, 8,000 yoga sessions are held daily, benefiting around 2 lakh people."
