Punjab government brings journalists under health insurance ambit

The Punjab government has brought journalists into the ambit of its recently launched universal health insurance scheme Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana, which will be launched on July 1.

Around 4,500 journalists are expected to benefit from this scheme. Extending the scheme beyond BPL units, the state government has extended the Prime Minister’s Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana to 42.5 lakh other families.

All journalists accredited with the state government or holding yellow cards will be eligible under the scheme, according to an official spokesperson. The state government will bear the whole premium under the scheme, and nearly 400 private hospitals in Punjab have been enlisted for the same.

Beneficiaries are provided secondary and tertiary care treatment under the scheme.

A few months ago, the state government had decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme to provide a cashless health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. While the cost of the premium for 14.86 lakh families covered under PMJAY scheme is being borne by the Centre and state in a 60:40 ratio, for the remaining beneficiaries, including journalists, the state will bear the entire cost of the premium.

First Published: Aug 19, 2019 00:10 IST