Govt to launch universal insurance plan tomorrow

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 18

The Punjab Government is all set to launch universal health insurance scheme “Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana” (SSBY) on Tuesday.

The government had extended the Prime Minister’s Sehat Bima Yojana beyond BPL families to a total of 42.5 lakh families with effect from July 1, 2019.

Sources said the Chief Minister would launch the scheme at a function in Mohali. To make the launch a mega show, all ministers have been instructed to go to different districts for launch events.

Officials said nearly 4,000 common service centres, which would enrol the beneficiaries and extend other help, had already been established. Another 5,000 centres would be established in the coming days.

The government had decided, a few months ago, to extend the PMJAY scheme to provide cashless health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. While the cost of the premium for 14.86 lakh families covered under the PMJAY as per SECC data is being borne by the Centre and state governments in 60:40 ratio, for the rest of the beneficiaries, including journalists, the state will bear the entire cost.

Nearly 400 private hospitals in Punjab have been empanelled. Beneficiaries are provided secondary and tertiary care treatment under the scheme, for which all public hospitals above the Community Health Centre (CHC) level are also empanelled to provide secondary and tertiary care treatment.

Scheme for scribes 

The state government has brought journalists into the ambit of its recently launched flagship universal health insurance scheme ‘Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana’ (SSBY). Around 4,500 journalists are expected to benefit from this scheme. All journalists accredited to the state government or holding yellow cards will be eligible, said an official spokesperson.