Private hospitals sceptical of Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana; fear delays, low rates; call it poll-driven by Punjab govt
Drawing from past experiences, many remain sceptical about the scheme's success, especially if the government fails to ensure timely reimbursements or make the programme financially viable.
A day after the scheme's launch, The Times of India spoke to a cross-section of private healthcare providers. Many expressed hesitation, stating they are waiting for more clarity before deciding on empanelment.
'There were two earlier schemes that had to be discontinued due to reimbursement delays and unviable rates for most procedures,' said Dr Avtar Singh of Amandeep Medicity.
He added that even the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana seems to be following a similar path.
Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched the scheme in Chandigarh on Tuesday, promising that every Punjabi family would be entitled to free and cashless medical treatment up to ₹10 lakh per year at both government and private hospitals.
Citing an example, Dr Avtar said the treatment cost for a fracture was fixed at ₹9,500 — a figure that makes the procedure financially unsustainable.
He added that co-payments (the patient's share of treatment costs) were not allowed, further complicating matters.
Dr Manik Mahajan of Mahajan Hospital, Batala, said earlier government health schemes offered treatment rates too low for private hospitals to maintain quality care. He noted that in many cases, reimbursements were delayed by over a year. However, he expressed hope that the Punjab government has addressed these issues before rolling out the new scheme.
Dr Ravijit Singh of Dr Daljit Singh Eye Hospital said the success of the scheme would depend on the groundwork laid by the government and the quality of support given to both patients and private hospitals. Based on his past experience, he said insurance approvals were often denied or delayed due to inefficiencies by the Third Party Administrator (TPA) — the agency responsible for coordinating between the hospitals and government.
Several private hospital owners, speaking anonymously, said they were previously empanelled under similar schemes due to what they described as 'administrative or political pressure', which resulted in financial losses.
'In one such scheme, my hospital lost ₹6 lakh from just six patients,' one owner said, adding that at times, government hospitals referred patients to private hospitals without proper coordination or payment.
There is also growing concern among private healthcare stakeholders that the new scheme is being pushed more for political mileage ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections than for genuinely improving public healthcare in the state.
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