IN the world of armchair policy critique, there is a recurring trope: if a government launches a scheme that actually works, it must be a mirage; if it’s ambitious, it must be “only on paper." The Punjab government’s Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana which provides Rs 10 lakh health insurance coverage to all families in Punjab, has aslo been facing such criticism in the media. However, as any doctor will tell you, a diagnosis based on a cursory glance at the patient — without checking the vital signs — is usually inaccurate. The same applies to any scheme or policy and the vitals of Punjab’s universal health insurance suggest it is sound and healthy.
Punjab has achieved a historic first: it is the first state in the country to provide a universal health insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh per family. No other state has done it so far. This is not just a marginal increase over existing frameworks of the Ayushman Bharat scheme of the Government of India but the doubling of the social safety net, and coverage of almost 2.4 crore additional residents of Punjab, ensuring that a “critical illness" does not become a “financial death sentence" for the average household.
Data vs doubt
Scepticism towards governance is a virtue and must be cultivated in a democracy. However, research cannot be replaced by opinionated columns that lack any serious analysis. The numbers bear out the evidence.
Within just three months of the scheme’s launch (from early January to April 30, 2026), nearly 43.78 lakh health insurance cards have been generated. To put that in perspective, roughly 15% of Punjab’s population enrolled in less than 100 days after the scheme launch.
To contrast this with other states, over the last eight years, Uttar Pradesh has averaged at 17 lakh Ayushman Bharat health insurance cards per quarter and Gujarat averaged around 9 lakh per quarter. Punjab is already averaging 2.6 times that of Uttar Pradesh and almost 4.9 times of Gujarat.
The scheme is popular across age groups. Almost 2.83 lakh health insurance cards have been issued for children aged up to 10 years and more than 3.3 lakh belong to people aged above 70 years. As many as 30.2 lakh of these health cards have been made for people living in rural Punjab.
As it is, prior possession of the health card is not a mandatory requirement for a patient to avail himself of treatment under the scheme. The card can also be issued on the first visit to the empanelled hospital for treatment. All that is required is an Aadhaar card and voter card. Nothing else is needed.
Of hearts and households
Within the last 100 days of the scheme, 2,78,199 people have already undergone treatment across 574 private hospitals and 215 government hospitals. Therefore, this is not a “paper scheme"; it is a massive logistical operation functioning in real-time.
The true rigour of a health scheme lies in its demographic reach. The scheme’s numbers tell human stories that no serious analysis can afford to ignore: 16,342 people having received medical care for animal bites, including snake bites, will tell an entirely different picture about the scheme and so will 4,882 people having undergone cardiac procedures to treat blockages in their arteries.
As many as 2,344 cases of severe anaemia have been treated under the scheme, most of whom are women. Over 4,380 cases of acute febrile illnesses caused by viral infections and more serious diseases like malaria, typhoid and dengue have received medical treatment and can return to productive lives. The scheme has also supported 4,439 Caesarean deliveries supporting these women and their families in their joyous times. Around 5,000 elderly people who have undergone knee replacements under the scheme can walk again and 1,982 people are seeing our beautiful world, again, because of cataract surgery.
Most of all, more than 25,000 people have had haemodialysis, clearly reflecting an unmet demand for elderly people with end-stage renal diseases for their survival.
Health expenses can be crippling, and the reimbursement models often fail on this account. Therefore, the Punjab government’s Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is entirely cashless for the patients. With 2,782 people availing treatment under the scheme every day, it is off to a great start.
Elephant in the OT
There are, undoubtedly, “teething challenges" in the implementation. This is mainly because the Government of Punjab has set out a big and decisive health agenda for its people at a scale never done before in our country.
Let’s be candid: when you move 43 lakh people onto a digital health platform, there will be friction and some early-stage challenges. There have been challenges with respect to timely payments to hospitals, largely driven by National Health Authority portal issues. To streamline and address the challenges, Rs 85 crore has been released to the hospitals in the last 15 days.
Not free, but pre-paid
Governments often use schemes as doles or charities for the people. However, the Mann-Kejriwal model is different. It is rooted in the belief that people pre-pay for their services from the government by paying direct and indirect taxes. Every citizen, rich or poor, contributes to the government treasury. A scheme like the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is an example of a bold social contract between citizens and their government.
Therefore, when a software engineer in Mohali or a lawyer in Bathinda district courts file their income tax return, they aren’t just funding a ledger; they are pre-purchasing a safety net for their aging parents. When a chartered accountant or shopkeeper fills their tank and pays excise duty and VAT on every litre of petrol, they are effectively “pre-paying" for the paediatric and cardiac packages for their family. When a gardener or a domestic help is buying a bottle of cooking oil or a bar of soap, they pay GST, ensuring that their contribution to the state’s treasury entitles them to the same Rs 10 lakh dignity as anyone else.
With 43.78 lakh health cards generated and 2.78 lakh having already received treatment in just 90 days, the government is not handing out charity; it is honouring a receipt that the people of Punjab have already settled. The insurance scheme is not at the expense of public health infrastructure. Take for instance the fact that almost 80,000 patients are treated in Aam Aadmi Clinics every day.
The bold social contract says to the person in rural Fazilka or urban Ludhiana that their health matters and their pocketbook shall not be the arbiter of their survival. The numbers are in, the hospitals are busy, and the people are covered. In the theatre of public policy, Punjab has moved past the rehearsal – the performance is well underway and it is saving lives.
With research inputs by Satinderpal Singh Chahal, Joint Advisor (Health), PDC
