Punjab is significantly strengthening high-risk maternal and neonatal healthcare through the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, ensuring that complicated deliveries and critical newborn care are accessible to families without financial burden. A major study based on India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) survey found that nearly one in every two pregnancies in the country is high-risk.
Factors such as poor education, poverty, short gaps between pregnancies, previous birth complications and caesarean deliveries increase dangers for both mother and baby. Researchers say women from vulnerable backgrounds face the highest risks, highlighting the urgent need for stronger maternal healthcare and awareness programmes.
The Sehat Card has emerged as a critical support mechanism for women requiring surgical intervention during childbirth due to complications such as prolonged labour, maternal health conditions, fetal distress and previous cesarean deliveries.
According to official data received from the State Health Agency (SHA), as on May 25, a total of 7,300 maternity and neonatal care cases were treated under the scheme with expenditure amounting to ₹7.04 crore. Of these, 5,300 were high-risk caesarean deliveries accounting for ₹6.37 crore, reflecting the growing role of the scheme in supporting high-risk pregnancies and emergency obstetric care across Punjab.
Speaking about personal experience, beneficiary Deepika, a 28-year-old woman from Patiala who faced pregnancy complications including anaemia, shares that she underwent a successful caesarean delivery fully covered under the Sehat Card.
Her husband Manoj shared that they were very happy that the procedures went smoothly and stress free with the cashless card. Similarly, another beneficiary, Diksha Sonkar, aged 31, received timely maternal and neonatal care during the birth of her third child at PIMS Medical College Hospital, with all treatment expenses covered cashlessly.
Her husband Vikas Sonkar said, “We have two daughters and we were worried if there would be any complications in the third delivery.” Vikas further says that life becomes deeply stressful the moment someone in the family has to be taken to a hospital.
“Even the mention of hospital instills fear in us,” he says. Working as a daily wage labourer, he explains that medical emergencies often push families like his into debt. “Anytime there is a medical emergency, we have to borrow money on interest,” he says, reflecting the harsh reality faced by many low-income workers struggling to afford healthcare.
“But with the Sehat Card, everything has been taken care of,” he adds. Alongside maternal care, the scheme is also providing extensive neonatal treatment support for critically ill and premature newborns requiring specialised medical intervention.
Official data from SHA, Punjab shows that 2094 infants received neonatal treatment under different care packages covered by the scheme. Basic Neonatal Care, which supports newborns managed alongside their mothers, covered 881 infants with treatment expenditure of ₹5.82lakh.
Similarly, 777 infants requiring short-term ICU admission benefitted under the Special Neonatal Care Package with expenditure reaching ₹28.27 lakh. The Intensive Neonatal Care Package supported 207 newborns requiring CPAP support, ventilation for less than 24 hours, or treatment for conditions such as neonatal sepsis, with treatment costs amounting to ₹15.65 lakh.
Official data further revealed that 116 highly vulnerable infants weighing between 1,200 and 1,499 grams or requiring prolonged ventilator support received Advanced Neonatal Care under the scheme at a cost of ₹9.30 lakh. Critical Neonatal Care for babies suffering from extreme prematurity, multi-system complications or severe medical instability benefitted 64 infants with expenditure of ₹7.88lakh.
In addition, prolonged chronic neonatal care support was provided to 18 infants. Also, chronic neonatal care included 17 infants, who required prolonged treatment for conditions like bronchopulmonary dysplasia and necrotising enterocoloitis, worth ₹56 thousand.
The Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is emerging as a major healthcare safeguard for families across the state. So far, approximately 44.8 lakh registrations have been made under the scheme.