Bhagwant Mann said Punjab offers universal health coverage under its Sehat Yojana. (File Photo)Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday listed several health sector initiatives his government has taken, announcing that 100 more ‘Aam Aadmi Clinics’ will become operational this month, with 400 more to follow. He also compared Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana with Centre’s Ayushman Bharat saying that the latter came with several riders attached while state’s scheme was universal.Mann said his government started Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana under which cashless medical treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh will be provided to every family. He said 25 lakh beneficiaries have been registered under the scheme so far and 1.60 lakh people have availed treatment.To run the scheme smoothly, in the current fiscal, a provision of Rs 1,200 crore has been kept while Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for three crore people of state for 2026-27, he said. “As against this, the Centre has earmarked Rs 9,300 crore under the Ayushman scheme for 140 crore people. This means Punjab is spending nearly 10 times more per capita,” Mann said and alleged that several conditions under the Ayushman scheme limit the number of beneficiaries.Raising concern over misinformation, Mann said, “Some anti-Punjab forces who don’t want people to benefit from such facilities are spreading canards about this Mukh Mantri Swehat Yo. These misnomers are aimed at discouraging people from availing its benefits, which is unwarranted and undesirable.” He added that the Punjab Government has empanelled the majority of private hospitals under the scheme, with government-fixed rates for around 2,600 ailments and treatments.He noted, “Around 900 government and private hospitals in Punjab and Chandigarh have been empanelled. The scheme covers 2,356 medical and surgical procedures, including orthopaedics, general medicine, heart, lung, kidney diseases, cancer treatment, and more.”Mann said detailed brochures regarding the Mukh Mantri Sehat scheme will be available in Aam Aadmi Clinics soon. He claimed that 94 per cent of patients have expressed satisfaction with treatment at these clinics, calling it the country’s best model.Presenting the health department’s four-year report card, he said previous governments had neglected the health sector, but it has been a key focus sector for the AAP government.Story continues below this adHe said that tendering for medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur has been done. “All formalities have been completed. For a medical college in Malerkotla, land has been procured, and on Eid, I will visit Malerkotla and will gift it to the people,” he said.About the Aam Aadmi Clinics, Mann said that 883 are operational, and 100 more will be dedicated on March 28 and 400 more clinics are being set up, he said. The CM said the number of people visiting the OPD in the Aam Aadmi Clinics has crossed five crore.He said 948 general doctors and 627 specialist doctors have been recruited during the past four years.“The recruitment alone constitutes 35 per cent of the total strength of government doctors. Earlier, even medicines were not available in government hospitals,” he said.Story continues below this adMann gave details about several other initiatives taken by his government in the health sector. He said 22 critical care blocks are under construction, and each block has a 50-bed capacity.The CM said the government has introduced first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence-enabled screening devices for early detection of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and refractive errors.Highlighting preventive health initiatives, he said, “Under the CM Ki Yogshala campaign, 8,000 yoga sessions are held daily, benefiting around 2 lakh people.”