Punjab government brings 4500 journalists under SSBY scheme

The Punjab Government under chief minister Amarinder Singh has brought journalists into the ambit of its recently launched flagship universal health insurance scheme 'Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana' (SSBY) according to an official statement.

Around 4500 journalists are expected to benefit from this scheme, under which the state government had extended the Prime Minister's Sehat Bima Yojana beyond BPL families to a total of 42.5 lakh families with effect from July 1, 2019, the statement informed.

All journalists accredited to the state government or holding yellow cards will be eligible to be covered under the scheme.

"The state government will bear the entire premium under the scheme, for nearly 400 private hospitals in Punjab have been empanelled. Beneficiaries are provided secondary and tertiary care treatment under the scheme, for which all public hospitals above the Community Health Centre (CHC) level are also empanelled to provide secondary and tertiary care treatment," it said.

The state government had decided, a few months ago, to extend the PMJAY scheme to provide 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 as per SECC data is being borne by the Centre and State in 60:40 ratio, for the rest of the beneficiaries, including the journalists, the state will bear the entire cost of the premium.