CM Sukhu orders probe into Himcare irregularities

CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday assured the Assembly that his government will carry out a thorough probe into alleged irregularities in the Himcare health scheme. He was replying to a question raised jointly by BJP MLAs Vinod Kumar and Trilok Jamwal during the question hour, after which Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur also alleged that the government had not implemented the scheme with the seriousness it required.

Sukhu informed the House that the expenditure incurred under Himcare in previous years is already under audit by the state’s Chief Accountant General. Alongside this financial scrutiny, the government will also investigate any possible criminal conspiracy linked to the scheme, he added.

The CM said preliminary observations suggest that several private hospitals may have received disproportionate benefits, undermining the core intent of Himcare. “Corruption has occurred by distorting the original spirit of the scheme,” he remarked. Despite this, he maintained that the poor and needy continued to receive treatment through Himcare.

To streamline access, principals and medical superintendents of medical colleges have been empowered to issue Himcare health cards in emergency situations where beneficiaries lack them. The government has also fixed a four-month window each year for issuing cards to ensure that eligible individuals can avail themselves of the scheme without difficulty.