E-Paper
Premature baby born at 27 weeks receives ₹3 lakh cashless NICU treatment in Punjab
The newborn, who weighed 700 grams at birth, was discharged in stable condition after 50 days of specialised care under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana
The child, born on June 9, 2026, to a couple from Shiv Shankar Mohalla in Nawanshahr, was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital empanelled under the scheme. According to the department, she remained under specialised care for 50 days before being discharged in stable condition.
Soon after birth, the baby developed breathing complications because her lungs were not fully developed. Doctors placed her on ventilator support and monitored her condition in the NICU. Her treatment included respiratory support, specialised nutrition, infection-control measures and continuous clinical observation.
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the case reflected the role of cashless health coverage in enabling families to access specialised treatment without having to arrange funds during a medical emergency.
“No family should have to choose between saving a life and arranging money for treatment. Every mother deserves a safe delivery, and every newborn deserves a fighting chance at life,” Singh said.
Specialised care over 50 days
Dr Hartesh S. Pahwa, who treated the newborn along with his medical team, said babies born at such an early stage of pregnancy are medically fragile and require round-the-clock care.
“With advanced neonatal treatment, proper nutrition, infection control and continuous monitoring, the baby’s condition gradually improved, and she was discharged in stable health,” Pahwa said. He added that the scheme covered the treatment cost, allowing the family to concentrate on the child’s recovery.
The baby’s father, Suraj, said his family would have found it difficult to meet the cost of prolonged NICU care independently.
“There were times when we feared we would lose our daughter. The doctors gave us hope, and the government scheme ensured we never had to think about arranging money,” he said.
According to information released by the state government, the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana covered the entire hospital bill of nearly ₹3 lakh. The scheme provides cashless treatment through empanelled healthcare facilities for eligible beneficiaries.
More than 4,400 neonatal cases supported
Data shared by the State Health Agency, Punjab, indicate that neonatal care has accounted for a significant share of claims relating to high-risk births under the scheme during the past nearly seven months.
The Special Neonatal Care Package supported 1,869 newborns, involving claims worth ₹2.50 crore, while the Intensive Neonatal Care Package covered 1,719 newborns, with claims amounting to ₹3.78 crore. Together, claims under these two packages totalled ₹6.28 crore.
The government said another 434 newborns received treatment under the Advanced Neonatal Care Package and 382 were covered through the Critical Care Neonatal Package. Overall, the four neonatal packages supported 4,404 cases, according to the figures provided by the State Health Agency.
The scheme also covered 474 women with high-risk pregnancies or complicated maternal and foetal conditions. These included 70 premature deliveries, 45 cases of severe anaemia, 19 cases of severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, and two cases involving major foetal malformations.
Singh said the figures showed that the programme was being used for the treatment of high-risk pregnancies and newborns requiring different levels of medical intervention. He said timely access to neonatal and maternal care was intended to reduce both health risks and the financial burden associated with prolonged hospitalisation.
