Chandigarh, September 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
For diabetic patients, what begins as a minor foot wound can quickly become a serious medical complication. Nerve damage can reduce the ability to feel injuries, while poor circulation can delay healing and infections can spread to deeper tissues, putting the limb at risk.
For 560 patients in Punjab, the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY) provided access to treatment for diabetic foot and associated complications, with ₹1.32 crore spent on their care over the last nearly eight months, according to the latest State Health Agency data.
Among those who benefited was 47-year-old Harcharan Singh, who was suffering from advanced diabetic foot disease after nerve damage and infection affected deeper tissues. Doctors performed surgical debridement to remove infected and dead tissue and help the wound heal.
Thirty-eight-year-old Raja also developed a serious infection after diabetic nerve damage left him barely able to feel a foot wound. With the infection at risk of reaching the bone, timely surgery was required.
For 57-year-old Veena, poor circulation made it difficult for her diabetic foot ulcer to heal. As the condition progressed, her foot was placed at risk of amputation and surgery was required to remove infected tissue.
Similarly, 67-year-old Santokh Singh developed a non-healing diabetic foot ulcer accompanied by pus formation. Surgical intervention was carried out to drain the infection and remove affected tissue.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the cases highlighted the importance of timely and affordable healthcare for diabetic patients.
“Behind every statistic under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is a human life—a father, a mother, a son or a daughter whose family is hoping for one more chance,” he said.
Dr Balbir Singh said diabetic foot complications can progress silently and, if treatment is delayed, can threaten mobility and even the limb itself. He added that the government’s priority was to ensure that families do not have to choose between seeking timely treatment and worrying about whether they can afford it.
Of the 560 patients treated, 126 underwent surgical management, accounting for ₹44.55 lakh of the total expenditure. Another 123 patients received medical management.
The remaining cases involved prolonged wound dressing and antibiotic treatment, toe and foot surgeries, below-knee procedures, skin grafting, CT and MRI investigations, blood and platelet transfusions, and treatment for serious associated conditions such as diabetic ketoacidosis, severe sepsis and anaemia.
“The success of Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana should not be measured only in the number of treatments or the amount spent, but in what those treatments make possible—a patient returning home, a family spared financial distress and, in cases such as diabetic foot disease, a limb that can still be saved,” Dr Balbir Singh said.
He said the scheme was aimed at ensuring that when patients reach a hospital, the focus remains on saving lives and limbs rather than on their ability to pay.
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