Bhagwant Singh Mann today presented the report card of four years of health sector, said it is ten times better than Ayushman.

Chandigarh: Continuing the ‘Four Years with Bhagwant Mann’ series, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today presented the four-year report card of the health sector. Earlier, details of the work of the AAP government in agriculture and irrigation sectors were given.

Explaining the difference between the ‘conditional’ Ayushman Bharat Yojana and the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana of the AAP government, he described the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Yojana as a universal and accessible health model and stressed that the difference lies in intention and implementation.

Data proves changes, targets rumors

Presenting the data-based results, the Chief Minister said that the AAP government is going beyond announcements and bringing real change at the ground level. From guaranteeing cashless treatment up to Rs 10 lakh without any restrictions, a system is being developed that people trust and are actively using. Taking aim at those spreading misinformation, he said that those spreading rumors about the Chief Minister Health Scheme do not want to see Punjab healthy.

Addressing the press conference, the Chief Minister said, “Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana is a comprehensive health scheme for the welfare of all and those spreading rumors about it are not in the interest of Punjab.” He said that the AAP government has started this scheme with the aim of providing direct access to quality treatment especially to the weaker sections. He further said, “This is the first scheme of its kind in the country, which provides cashless treatment up to Rs 10 lakh to every family of Punjab.”

Pride of Punjab – First State with Comprehensive Health Coverage

Describing it as a matter of pride, the Chief Minister said, “Punjab is the first Indian state to provide comprehensive health coverage, thereby ensuring quality health services and reducing the economic burden on the public to a great extent.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann further said that the objective of this scheme is to provide universal health services to government employees, pensioners and all citizens by issuing health cards through convenience centres, common service centers or online registration through Aadhaar or Voter Card.

He said, “This scheme has received wide support and a large number of people are coming forward to avail its benefits, which has brought a lot of relief to the families who had to spend heavily on treatment.”

Anti-Punjab forces spreading rumors

Expressing concern over the rumours, the Chief Minister said, “Some anti-Punjab forces, who do not want people to avail such facilities, are spreading misinformation about the scheme. The aim of such elements is to deprive people of its benefits, which is unfair.” He further said that the Punjab government has empaneled most of the private hospitals under this scheme, where around 2600 diseases are being treated at the rates fixed by the government.

Ten times better than Ayushman

Comparing it with the Centre’s Ayushman scheme, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana is a boon for the people, whereas Ayushman is just a show off.” He clarified that “The Center has allocated only Rs 9300 crore for a population of 140 crore, while Punjab has earmarked Rs 2000 crore for just 3 crore people. This means Punjab is spending almost ten times more per capita. Unlike Ayushman, there are no conditions in our scheme.”

25 lakh registered, more than 1.6 lakh treated

Throwing light on the scheme, he said, “About 900 government and private hospitals in Punjab and Chandigarh have been covered under this scheme and 25 lakh beneficiaries have been registered. Out of these, more than 1.6 lakh people have received treatment.”

He further said, “Rs 1200 crore has been earmarked for the year 2025-26 and Rs 2000 crore for 2026-27. The scheme covers 2,356 medical and surgical procedures, which include orthopedics, general medicine, heart, lung, kidney diseases, cancer treatment and many other services.”

883 Aam Aadmi Clinics and 94% satisfaction rate

Presenting the four-year report card of the health department, the Chief Minister said, “883 Aam Aadmi Clinics are functioning across Punjab and 100 more clinics will be dedicated on March 28. Apart from this, 400 clinics are under construction. In these clinics, 47 tests and 107 medicines are available free of cost and the patient satisfaction rate is 94 percent.”

He further said, “OPD numbers have crossed 5 crore and 1.69 crore patients have been treated. This model is now becoming popular all over India.”

Largest recruitment of doctors – 35% in last 75 years

Advocating greater investment in human resources, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Punjab has seen the largest recruitment of doctors in its history after 2022, which includes 948 general doctors and 627 specialists. This is about 35 per cent of the total government doctor recruitment in the last 75 years.”

He further said, “300 nursing staff and 250 pharmacists have been recruited and the recruitment process of 672 nurses is underway.” Focusing on maternal and child health and infrastructure, he said, “Seven maternal and child health centers with a capacity of 250 beds are under construction and a 30-bed pivot center was inaugurated on March 17. Now free medicines are available in all hospitals.”

He further said that strengthening the infrastructure is a priority and hotline services have been started in all district hospitals and 33 out of 42 sub-divisional hospitals. “The remaining hospitals will be connected to hotline services by April-May 2026 and more than Rs 400 crore has been spent on modern medical equipment,” he said.

Critical Care, MRI and AI Screening

The Chief Minister further said, “22 critical care blocks with 50 beds each are under construction and diagnostic services are being significantly expanded. By October 2026, MRI services will be available in all district hospitals, leading to a 500 per cent increase, while CT scan services have been increased by 33 per cent.”

He further said, “PET scan facilities will be started in Amritsar, Faridkot, Mohali and Patiala and more than 200 empaneled private diagnostic centers are providing free X-ray and ultrasound services.”

Dialysis, AI Cancer Screening and Stroke Project

On the use of technology, he said, “Dialysis services have been expanded and the capacity has been increased to 4800, thereby reducing the waiting time. For the first time in the country, AI based cancer screening was conducted between September 2025 and March 2026, in which 9,294 women were screened for breast cancer.”

He further said, “Eyes of 1.07 lakh people were examined, out of which 21,660 people were found to have the problem.” Referring to the critical care initiatives, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Punjab STEMI Project under Mission Amrit has been implemented in 23 districts to take care of heart attack patients. 29,000 patients have been registered in it and more than 1700 cases have been identified.” He further said, “The ‘Samarth Punjab Stroke Project’ in collaboration with CMC Ludhiana and Medtronic has already benefited more than 100 patients.”

Punjab Institute of Liver and Yoga Abhiyaan

He further said, “The first of its kind, Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences is providing great relief to the people.” He said, “Under the Chief Minister’s Yogshala Abhiyan, 8000 yoga sessions are being organized daily, benefiting about 2 lakh people.”

Seven new medical colleges and future commitments

Regarding medical education, the Chief Minister said, “Seven new medical colleges are under construction, which will add 600 new MBBS seats and will help in developing Punjab as a hub of medical education.” He concluded, “The Punjab government will leave no stone unturned to make the state healthy and progressive in the times to come.”