More than 55,000 regular clerical employees with nearly 46 Punjab government departments, under the banner of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU), have refused to opt for the Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana (MMSBY) after the union held a virtual meeting on March 29, stating that “the health packages for various diseases have been fixed, and the amounts are too low”.PSMSU state president Gurnam Singh Virk said, “On March 30, the union formally communicated the decision to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha that no union employee was keen to get their health cards under MMSBY.”However, the health minister told The Indian Express that he had not received any formal representation from the union. “I have not yet received their representation,” he said.Explaining the reasons behind the decision, Virk said, “We have studied the scheme and found the health packages for various diseases have been fixed, and the amount is very low. Also, employees have expressed their apprehension that opting for MMSBY can lead to discontinuation of the existing reimbursement system and the monthly medical allowances.”“Moreover, the Punjab government has long been defaming union employees and not fulfilling our demands. Thus, the union has decided not to get our health cards made under the scheme,” Virk, currently posted as the personal assistant to the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner, said.Virk explained that regular employees are entitled to a monthly medical allowance of Rs 500 and can also reimburse medical bills as per the prescribed government norms. The reimbursement facility covers employees, pensioners and their dependents, and allows treatment in both government and private hospitals, he said.The Punjab government launched MMSBY in January, projecting it as a universal health insurance scheme offering coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh per family annually. The scheme has around 2,359 treatment packages, each with fixed rates determined by the state.Story continues below this adOn March 26, a joint meeting of major employee unions, including PSMSU, Punjab Civil Secretariat and Directorate employees’ bodies, the Employees-Pensioners Joint Front, Contributory Pension Fund Employees Union, and organisations associated with the Old Pension Restoration Joint Platform, was held in Chandigarh on March 26, deciding to “unite for common demands and intensify joint struggle”.More unions will join on April 4: VirkTo formalise the structure of this emerging alliance and chalk out future strategy, another meeting has been scheduled for April 4 at Pensioners Bhawan in Ludhiana.“More unions are likely to reject MMSBY at the meeting on April 4,” Virk said, adding, “If more unions adopt the same position, then nearly three lakh regular employees and around four lakh pensioners will join us.”Contractual, outsourced employees have no issuesThough regular employees are refusing to opt for MMSBY, the contractual or outsourced employees have no issues with the scheme. In Patiala, several employees of the Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation got their health cards made from Wednesday to Friday.Story continues below this adPSMSU general secretary Tarsem Bhattal said, “The issue surfaced earlier when the Ferozepur administration circulated instructions on March 26, asking employees to get MMSBY cards made.” “The employees, who are members of PSMSU, refused to get the health card made. Subsequently, the union held a meeting and a collective decision was made that no one from our union will get the health card, which is not of much use to us,” Bhattal added.Discuss with us if have any doubts: health minThe health minister told The Indian Express, “They should discuss the health card scheme with us if they have any doubts, rather than deciding not to opt for it. I am open to any kind of query about the MMSBY.”Seeking to reassure employees, the minister said, “I want to tell the employees that under this scheme, they can avail cashless treatment up to Rs 10 lakh. If the treatment cost exceeds Rs 10 lakh, it will be reimbursed as per the employees’ policy. The existing system of reimbursement will continue as normal. Employees need not worry about that.”The minister, meanwhile, said the scheme was receiving “very good” response. “MMSBY is receiving a very good response. We launched it in January, and by the end of March, treatment worth Rs 300 crore has been carried out under the scheme.”Story continues below this ad“Once again, I urge employees to speak with me to get their doubts cleared,” the minister added.