‘ ₹90 cr spent on 82,000 patients under Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana in Punjab’
Highlighting achievements under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Punjab health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said about 38.55 lakh e-cards have been generated to extend the benefits of this scheme to the masses
The Punjab Government has so far treated more than 82,150 patients under the Ayushman Bharat-Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojna (AB-SSBY) at a cost of ₹90 crore. Punjab health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday shared this information while addressing the press on Wednesday.
Highlighting achievements under AB-SSBY, the minister further said that about 38.55 lakh e-cards have been generated to extend the benefits of this scheme to beneficiaries and the process is still underway. The state government will hire its own agency to accelerate the process of generating e-cards and the tender to depute the agency will be floated soon, he said.
Sidhu also stated that 639 hospitals have been enlisted under SSBY to bring secondary and tertiary health-care services to the door step of beneficiaries and work to add more hospitals is underway. He said that under tertiary care services, about 1,145 cancer patients have been treated apart from 1,291 knee and hip replacements and 1,474 cardiac surgeries.
In addition, Sidhu announced that journalists could also get e-cards which will be generated from December 13 at Chandigarh Press Club, Sector 27 and at Press Club, Mohali. The procedure will be carried out by common service centres. The inclusion of family members of beneficiaries is also underway and they could avail services by visiting any of the enlisted hospitals or 22 district kiosks set up at district hospitals.
The state government has also constituted a state anti fraud unit to address complaints of beneficiaries and to investigate reports of fraud under Ayushman Bharat–Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana. Of the 1,502 complaints registered on 104 helpline, 1,220 complaints had been disposed off so far, said the minister. Special teams have also been constituted under deputy medical commissioner to immediately redress the grievances at the district level. If any enlisted hospital refuses to provide the benefit of the insurance scheme, stern action will be taken against the erring establishment, he said.
Among those present on the occasion were CEO state health agency Kumar Rahul, MD Punjab health systems corporation Manvesh Singh Sidhu , ACEO state health agency Dr Shaweta Kumari, political secretary to health minister Harkesh Chand Sharma, OSD to health minister Dr Balwinder Singh and other senior officers of the health department.