Sixty-five-year-old Baljit Kaur began showing signs of weakness and loss of appetite, which gradually worsened. Her son, Gurpinder Jeet Singh, a driver, said they initially thought it was a minor health issue.
"She slowly stopped eating. Even drinking water became difficult," he said.
She was first taken to local clinics and later referred to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, where tests confirmed uterine cancer. Treatment began soon after, but expenses started rising quickly.
“In the first few weeks, we spent around Rs 60,000. I was worried about arranging more money,” Gurpinder said, adding that he even thought about taking loans or selling his things.
Doctors advised chemotherapy followed by surgery, depending on her condition. During this time, the family learned about the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, a flagship state health insurance scheme for the beneficiaries of the State of Punjab.
The scheme helped the Patiala family cover nearly the entire cost of a cancer treatment that would have otherwise cost them approximately Rs 10 lakh.
"Someone at the hospital mentioned it. I didn't believe it at first, but I checked and completed the formalities," he said.
After the family completed the paperwork and verification, Baljit Kaur was officially enrolled under the scheme. She completed around 12 chemotherapy sessions and later had an eight-hour surgery.
"She remained in the ICU on ventilator support for several days before stabilising. We just waited outside," said Gurpinder. After some more observation in the hospital, she was discharged and is now recovering at home.
Gurpinder said that if they had paid for everything themselves, the total cost would have been around Rs 8 to 10 lakh, including chemotherapy, surgery, ICU stay, and medicines.
"Most of this was covered under the government scheme, but we still had to buy a few medicines from outside because the hospital didn't have them," he said, adding, "The biggest relief is that we didn't have to stop treatment because of money.
The Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana was launched on August 20, 2019, to provide financial protection to 65 percent of the population of Punjab. A family gets health insurance coverage up to Rs 5 lakh every year for secondary and tertiary care.
