Chandigarh:For a person suffering from diabetes, a minor injury to the foot can gradually turn into a serious medical emergency. Damage to nerves can cause pain to be felt, making the injury difficult to detect. Poor blood circulation can slow wound healing, while infection can spread to deeper tissues and, in severe cases, even threaten a limb. For hundreds of patients in Punjab, Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY) became a safety net when diabetic foot problem grew into a serious challenge to recovery.
Harcharan Singh: Struggle with advanced diabetic foot
47 year old Harcharan Singh was suffering from advanced diabetic foot disease. His ability to detect injuries was reduced due to nerve damage, while the infection had spread to deeper tissues. Doctors performed surgical debridement to remove infected and dead tissue and give the foot a chance to heal.
Raja: Diabetic Neuropathy and Risk of Infection
Raja, 38, faced similar dangers. Diabetic Neuropathy left him with a wound he almost didn't notice, which later developed into a serious infection that threatened to spread to the bone. In such a situation, timely surgery became necessary.
Veena: Poor blood circulation and ulcer crisis
In the case of another beneficiary, 57-year-old Veena, wound healing had become difficult due to poor blood circulation. His ulcer reached such a stage that it threatened to require amputation of his leg. Surgery was required to remove the infected tissues.
Santokh Singh: Long non-healing ulcer
At the same time, 67-year-old Santokh Singh had developed a diabetic foot ulcer that did not heal for a long time, in which pus had started forming. Surgical intervention was necessary to drain the infection and remove the affected tissues.
Four patients, same danger
Four patients. Four different conflicts. A terrifying prospect—of losing a limb. Opportunity to save organs through timely treatment But timely treatment gave all four of them an important opportunity to fight the infection and save their organs.
Health Minister's statement: There is a life behind every figure
Dr. Balbir Singh, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, said, “Behind every statistic under the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana, there is a human life—a father, a mother, a son or a daughter, whose family is hoping for another chance. Complications of diabetic foot can gradually progress and if treatment is delayed, can lead to loss of mobility and even threat to limb. Our priority is to ensure that any family in Punjab gets the right treatment in time. But he doesn’t have to choose between getting treatment and worrying about whether he will be able to afford it.”
Focus on treatment, not worry about expenses
Dr. Balbir Singh said that Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana has been designed with the objective that when a patient reaches the hospital, the focus should be on saving the life of the patient and not on whether his family will be able to afford the treatment or not.
The right criteria for the success of the plan
Dr. Balbir Singh said, “The success of the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana should not be measured just by the number of treatments or the amount spent, but by what these treatments made possible—a patient returning home after recovery, saving a family from financial distress and, in cases like diabetic foot, saving a limb that can still be saved. This is the purpose of a people-centric health system: to be with families when they need them most.” To stand strong.”
MMSY figures: 560 patients treated
According to the latest data from the state health agency, 560 patients received treatment for diabetic foot and its related complications in the last eight months under the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana, on which a total of ₹1.32 crore was spent. Surgical treatment accounted for the largest share, with 126 patients treated and ₹44.55 lakh spent. At the same time, medical management was provided to 123 patients.
Other treatments and related procedures
The remaining cases included long-term dressings and antibiotic treatment, toe and toe surgery, below-the-knee procedures, skin grafting, imaging tests such as CT and MRI, blood and platelet transfusions and treatment of serious associated conditions such as diabetic ketoacidosis, severe sepsis and anemia.
From policy to actual aid
This is where the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana goes beyond being a policy on paper and turns into real assistance. For these patients, this meant that starting treatment would not result in the immediate burden of an expensive hospital bill that they could not afford and which could lead to another emergency.