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Major multi-speciality hospital chains such as Fortis and Max are not part of the scheme at present.

Mohali: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday rolled out Punjab’s most ambitious healthcare initiative yet, with party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launching the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, a universal health insurance scheme providing free, cashless medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh per family.

Under the scheme, all 65 lakh families in Punjab will be covered, irrespective of income or social category. Any resident of Punjab who possesses an Aadhaar card and a voter ID will be eligible. Over 2,500 medical procedures have been included, with treatment available at all government hospitals and a network of empanelled private hospitals across the state.

Health department officials, however, clarified that major multi-speciality hospital chains such as Fortis and Max are not part of the scheme at present, though discussions had taken place. “They may be empanelled at a later stage,” officials said.

Announcing the scheme, CM Bhagwant Mann said beneficiaries would be entitled to cashless treatment from Day One after registration. “Health cards may take one to two weeks to reach beneficiaries, but registration will activate eligibility immediately,” he said, adding that people could approach nearby government hospitals for details and enrolment.

Addressing the gathering, Arvind Kejriwal termed the launch a “historic occasion not just for Punjab, but for the entire country.” He said that despite 75 years of independence, successive governments had failed to ensure accessible healthcare for ordinary citizens.

“The work done by the Bhagwant Mann government over the past four years will be written in golden letters in Punjab’s history,” Kejriwal said, asserting that healthcare had been transformed from a privilege into a right.

Highlighting the AAP government’s healthcare push, Kejriwal said nearly 1,000 mohalla clinics had been set up in the state in the past four years, with another 500 clinics in the pipeline. In addition, 2,500 ‘pind clinics’ are planned to ensure basic healthcare access in every village.

“In 75 years, previous governments built barely 400 primary health centres. We have created a parallel healthcare infrastructure in just four years,” he said, claiming that the current government had done “ten times more” than earlier regimes.

Kejriwal further said the state had recruited 1,100 doctors and specialists, eliminating shortages in government hospitals. “Now, no one in Punjab will be denied treatment because of a lack of money,” he said.

Calling it a landmark moment, CM Bhagwant Mann said the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana was the largest healthcare scheme launched in Punjab since Independence. “This government believes that no family should fall into poverty because of medical expenses,” he said.

Senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Punjab ministers Aman Arora and Harpal Singh Cheema, and other party leaders were present at the launch.