Mohali (Punjab): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday fulfilled its promise of free healthcare in Punjab as National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched the ‘Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna’ (MMSY) here, extending free treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh to every family in the state.
With the scheme now in force, even the most expensive private hospitals previously accessible only to the wealthy are opened to the poor, marking a decisive shift in public welfare delivery.
Punjab, under the AAP government, now becomes the first state in the country to guarantee free healthcare, free education, free electricity, and free bus travel for women, while Kejriwal asserted that power-hungry Opposition parties remain consumed by internal battles, and that only AAP could secure a safe future for Punjab.
On the occasion, Kejriwal and CM Mann handed over Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna cards to some of the eligible beneficiaries.
During the launch of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, Kejriwal said, “Today is not just a big and historic day for Punjab, but for the entire country. The work that is going to be done in Punjab today should perhaps have been done back in 1950.
“All those who fought for Independence did not struggle so that one day the British would leave and our own governments would be formed, only for those governments to do nothing for the people”.
The AAP supremo said over the past 75 years many governments came and went, but none of them truly cared for the people. Big promises were made, but the public was neglected.
He said there was a time when Punjab was plagued by severe terrorism, and then came a phase when drugs were rampant.
“But everything has its time. The phase that Punjab has been going through for the past four years will be written in golden letters in the history of Punjab and the country,” he said.
Referring to the promises made during elections, Kejriwal said when he and CM Mann went campaigning, they used to give guarantees. At that time, they spoke of “Kejriwal’s Guarantees,” one of which was a health guarantee, that free and quality healthcare would be provided for every person and every citizen of Punjab.
“People did not believe it back then,” he said and pointed out that these are not ordinary clinics, and stated, “Over the past 75 years, the Akali Dal, the BJP, and the Congress governments together opened only 400 primary health centres, while the present government has built 1,000 Mohalla Clinics in just four years, and another 500 are under construction.”
Meanwhile, CM Mann said the scheme was launched for the welfare of every section of society, inspired by the teachings of Gurus.
“Health cards will be issued to all 65 lakh families, covering nearly three crore residents of Punjab,” he said, adding for the first time no income limit has been fixed for any health scheme in the state.
“With the launch of this scheme today, Punjab has set a new benchmark for the entire country,” CM Mann said, underlining that Punjab has now become the first state to provide free healthcare, free education, free electricity, and free bus travel for women.
(IANS)
