Punjab cancer patients access cashless treatment amid rising death toll

She remained in ICU on ventilator support for several days before stabilising, was discharged after more observation, and is now recovering at home.

Baljit Kaur underwent around 12 chemotherapy sessions followed by an eight-hour surgery. The total treatment would have been about Rs 8 to 10 lakh for chemotherapy, surgery, ICU stay, and medicines, but most of this was covered by the government scheme.

After learning about the scheme and completing paperwork and verification, Baljit Kaur was officially enrolled under the scheme.

Tests at Rajindra Hospital in Patiala confirmed uterine cancer and treatment began soon after, with the family spending around Rs 60,000 in the first weeks.

The Punjab government launched the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana on August 20, 2019, to provide financial protection to 65 percent of the population, with health insurance coverage up to Rs 5 lakh per year for secondary and tertiary care.

A District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II ruling in Chandigarh directed the Punjab government to reimburse a retired deputy district attorney for his prostate cancer treatment, stating that limiting medical claims without the patient’s informed consent of policy restrictions constitutes deficiency in service.

Baljit Kaur, a 65-year-old resident of Patiala, completed an intensive treatment regimen including 12 chemotherapy sessions and an eight-hour surgery under the Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojna. The scheme covered nearly all estimated ₹8–₹10 lakh in expenses; some auxiliary medicines were paid out-of-pocket, with the majority of the financial burden alleviated through cashless coverage.

The article references HT reporting that even among the state's oldest citizens, such as a 98-year-old patient in Moga, the scheme has ensured medical decisions are guided by clinical need rather than financial constraints.

The state scheme offers cashless coverage up to ₹10 lakh per family annually and has issued over 9 lakh cards; it is accepted in more than 900 hospitals, expanding access to treatment.

The report points to a trend of increasing female cancer deaths, with over 13,000 women dying from cancer in the past five years; breast cancer remains the leading cause. Experts note earlier onset in younger women and cite risk factors such as sedentary lifestyles and late menopause, with environmental factors like pollution and contaminated water cited by ICMR as contributing to certain cancer types.

The data indicate Punjab recorded approximately 70 cancer deaths every day in 2025, totaling nearly 25,000 fatalities for the year, a rise from 2021 figures.

Data cited in the article show Punjab recorded 22,786 cancer fatalities in 2021, as part of national statistics tracked by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and referenced in the report.