Health card becomes lifeline for labourer Sulakhan Singh, ₹3 lakh treatment done without spending a single rupee: Dhaliwal
Amritsar(The Uttam Hindu): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab’s Chief Spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the promises made to the public by the Bhagwant Mann government are now clearly being fulfilled at the ground level. Due to the visionary thinking of National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme has now become fully effective.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday along with AAP leaders Prabhbir Singh Brar and Gurpratap Singh Sandhu, Dhaliwal said that under this scheme, nearly 65 lakh families in Punjab have been ensured cashless treatment of up to ₹10 lakh, which is nothing short of a boon, especially for poor and middle-class families.
Citing a living example of the scheme’s success, Dhaliwal shared the case of Sulakhan Singh, a resident of village Gurdas Nangal in Gurdaspur district. He said that Sulakhan Singh, a daily-wage labourer, suddenly got a serious heart ailment, and doctors estimated the cost of his treatment at around ₹3 lakh.
Due to financial hardship, it was impossible for the family to bear this expense, but under the Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme, his health card was prepared within just one day. After that, his heart was successfully operated on and stents were placed at a private hospital in Amritsar without spending even a single rupee. Dhaliwal said that Sulakhan Singh returning home healthy is a strong reply to those opponents who label the government’s policies as mere “rhetoric.”
Dhaliwal said that strengthening the infrastructure of education and health is the main agenda of the Punjab government. By investing in both sectors, the government is preparing a strong and secure future for the coming generations. During previous governments, the poor either drowned in debt due to expensive treatment or died due to lack of medical care, but the Mann government has made healthcare a basic right of every citizen.
He clarified that hospitals are being regularly monitored to ensure that no patient faces any kind of inconvenience and that no hospital can demand any additional payment from cardholders.
Targeting the opposition, the AAP leader said that those who remained in power for decades while neglecting these basic facilities are now unable to digest the change. He appealed to the public to get their health cards made under the Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme and take full advantage of this public welfare initiative.