Patiala, April 19: A Patiala family has managed to navigate the high costs of cancer treatment without falling into debt, thanks to the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana. Gurpinder Jeet Singh, who works as a driver, stated that the financial burden of his 65-year-old mother’s uterine cancer diagnosis initially threatened to force the sale of family belongings and the taking of high-interest loans.
Baljit Kaur was diagnosed with the illness after suffering from severe loss of appetite and weakness. Initial medical expenses reached ₹60,000 within weeks, prompting the family to seek help. Singh maintained that the total cost of his mother’s care—which included 12 chemotherapy sessions, an eight-hour surgery, and an extended ICU stay on ventilator support—would have typically reached between ₹8 lakh and ₹10 lakh.
The biggest relief is that we didn’t have to stop treatment because of money, Singh affirmed on Sunday. He noted that after learning about the government scheme at Rajindra Hospital, the family completed the necessary formalities to access cashless treatment across empanelled facilities. Health officials affirmed that the program is designed to provide seamless access to care for various income groups using basic identification.
Following the successful surgery and observation period, Kaur has been discharged and is currently recovering at home. Medical professionals stated that the ability to continue treatment without interruption due to financial constraints was a critical factor in her stabilization. Singh affirmed that while some medicines had to be purchased independently, the bulk of the life-saving procedures were covered by the state initiative.
