Chandigarh, May 25: The Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana has significantly expanded access to high-risk maternal and neonatal medical treatments across Punjab, eliminating financial barriers for families facing complex childbirth and infant medical emergencies. The specialized state initiative ensures that critical emergency obstetric interventions and advanced newborn care procedures are fully funded by the administration.
According to recent statistics from the State Health Agency, the health card initiative has successfully processed 7,300 maternity and neonatal care cases, reflecting an overall financial allocation of Rs 7.04 crore. The program focuses heavily on emergency surgical interventions, with 5,300 high-risk caesarean operations accounting for Rs 6.37 crore of the total expenditure.
Low-income families throughout the region maintained that the cashless framework provides crucial financial security during sudden medical crises.
“Anytime there is a medical emergency, we have to borrow money on interest,” asserted Vikas Sonkar, a daily wage laborer whose family accessed the healthcare benefits during a complicated third delivery. “But with the Sehat Card, everything has been taken care of.”
The welfare program simultaneously provides structural support for specialized neonatal care packages, ensuring timely treatment for critically ill, underweight, or premature infants. State data reveals that 2,094 newborns received specialized clinical attention across several tiered care categories tailored to specific medical needs.
Operational records show that the Basic Neonatal Care package supported 881 infants staying alongside their mothers with an expenditure of Rs 5.82 lakh. The Special Neonatal Care Package provided short-term ICU admissions for 777 infants at a cost of Rs 28.27 lakh, while the Intensive Neonatal Care Package covered 207 newborns requiring CPAP ventilation or sepsis management, totaling Rs 15.65 lakh.
For severe clinical situations, the Advanced Neonatal Care segment extended Rs 9.30 lakh in coverage to 116 highly vulnerable infants weighing under 1,500 grams or requiring prolonged respiratory assistance. Furthermore, Critical Neonatal Care funded treatments for 64 infants facing extreme prematurity or multi-system complications with a payout of Rs 7.88 lakh, while prolonged chronic care for conditions like bronchopulmonary dysplasia supported 17 infants.
The state-wide implementation of these urgent healthcare services aims to directly address risk factors highlighted in national health surveys, including poverty and maternal health complications. The administrative network continues to widen its safety net, with total state-wide registrations under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana now standing at approximately 44.8 lakh individuals.
