State Health Agency Manipur Organizes 2-Day Sensitization Workshop on PM-JAY & CMHT

Ukhrul, Feb 27: The State Health Agency, Manipur, has commenced a two-day Sensitization Workshop on Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT) at City Convention Centre, Imphal.

The workshop, which began on Thursday, aims to enhance public awareness and increase enrolment in the two flagship health insurance schemes that have provided free hospitalisation benefits to poor and vulnerable families in Manipur since 2018. The key theme of the workshop is “Free Hospitalization of Up to RS. 5 Lakhs Per Year Per Family,” emphasising the importance of these schemes in ensuring universal health coverage for economically weaker sections of society. Despite being implemented for seven years, the AB-PMJAY and CMHT schemes have yet to reach full saturation in terms of beneficiary enrollment and hospital awareness. Many eligible families are still unaware of the benefits they can avail, leading to lower participation in the schemes.

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On the first day of the workshop, CMHT Policy Manager Dr. Irengbam Bijeta highlighted the importance of these government-backed health insurance programs. She stated that PM-JAY, since its launch in 2018, has provided health insurance to nearly 55 crore people out of India’s 140 crore population. She stressed that only 9 crore 20 lakh people across the country have access to private health insurance, making PM-JAY a crucial initiative in providing healthcare access to the economically weaker sections.

Further, she maintained that in Manipur, around 14 lakh people have benefited from the schemes so far, with Rs. 300 crore spent on cashless treatments in empaneled hospitals. CMHT, which is specifically designed for Manipur, covers around 1,26,000 families including media personnel and hawkers. The CMHT scheme covers 1,854 critical illnesses, and so far, Rs 264 crore has been spent on cashless treatments.

Dr. Bijeta urged all eligible households to enroll under these schemes to maximise their benefits. She further emphasised that under the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data, around 2.5 lakh families in Manipur qualify for PM-JAY. However, the enrolment rate needs to improve to ensure that the most vulnerable populations get the necessary healthcare support.

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The two-day workshop will include discussions and presentations on various aspects of AB-PMJAY and CMHT, such as:

Policy Framework & Implementation Strategies; Hospital Treatment Packages & Coverage; Digital Portals for Beneficiary Enrolment and Grievance Redressal Mechanisms. Several experts and key officials are leading the sessions, including Dr. Irengbam Bijeta (Policy Manager, CMHT), Rinsophy Chamroy (TEC Manager) and Dr. N. Pratapchandra (Chief Medical Officer, ISA).

The workshop is attended by media personnel, para-legal volunteers (PLVs), and implementation support agencies, who played a crucial role in spreading awareness and ensuring smooth execution of the schemes. The workshop stressed the urgent need for wider public awareness to ensure that every eligible household in Manipur benefits from PM-JAY and CMHT. The State Health Agency urged the media and civil society organisations to help promote these schemes so that no eligible person is left behind.

With the increasing healthcare costs and limited access to private health insurance, PM-JAY and CMHT continue to serve as lifelines for the underprivileged, providing financial protection and ensuring access to quality healthcare in Manipur.

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