Kohima, 20th August 2026 (Nokinketer News): The Nagaland Health Protection Society (NHPS), under the Department of Health & Family Welfare, organised a one-day media sensitisation programme on Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS) at Capital Convention Centre in Kohima on Thursday.

The programme, held under the theme “Enhancing Media Awareness and Public Outreach on AB PM-JAY & CMHIS,” aimed to strengthen media understanding of the two health insurance schemes and enhance public awareness on their benefits.

Delivering the welcome address, NHPS chief executive officer (CEO) Thavaseelan K, IAS, appreciated the media for its role in disseminating timely and accurate information. He said AB PM-JAY and CMHIS were designed to provide financial protection and improve access to healthcare for eligible beneficiaries.

Stressing the importance of responsible reporting, Thavaseelan said misinformation and lack of awareness often prevented eligible families from availing benefits under the schemes. He urged media organisations to partner with the government in ensuring that information reached every eligible beneficiary.

Giving an overview of the schemes, NHPS deputy CEO Dr. Yingnei Wangnao said beneficiaries under AB PM-JAY and CMHIS (General) were entitled to a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family annually on a family-floater basis, while CMHIS (Employees & Pensioners) provided coverage of ₹20 lakh per family per annum.

He informed that government employees could also be eligible for reimbursement of medical expenses beyond the insured amount on a case-to-case basis, subject to the recommendation of the State Medical Board.

Dr. Wangnao said the schemes offered free and cashless hospitalisation for a wide range of secondary and tertiary healthcare services, including defined day-care procedures and pre- and post-hospitalisation care. However, outpatient consultations and standalone diagnostic tests were not covered. Beneficiaries opting for high-end implants, prosthetics, pacemakers or other surgical materials beyond the standard package would have to bear the additional cost.

He further said CMHIS (General) covered over 1,950 medical and surgical packages across 27 clinical specialities, while CMHIS (Employees & Pensioners) offered benefits comparable to the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), including room entitlement based on pay grade.

On the hospital network, Dr. Wangnao said beneficiaries under AB PM-JAY and CMHIS (General) could avail treatment at empanelled hospitals both within Nagaland and across the country, while CMHIS (Employees & Pensioners) beneficiaries could also access empanelled hospitals inside and outside the State. He advised beneficiaries to verify empanelled hospitals and treatment packages through the official CMHIS portal before seeking treatment.

Speaking on beneficiary eligibility, NHPS deputy CEO Livitoli Sukhalu said the schemes covered three categories—AB PM-JAY, CMHIS (General) and CMHIS (Employees and Pensioners).

She said AB PM-JAY beneficiaries comprised families identified under the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011, erstwhile Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) beneficiaries and registered Building and Construction Workers (BoCW). She said the beneficiary base in Nagaland comprised around 2.59 lakh poor and deprived families.

Sukhalu said CMHIS (General) covered indigenous and permanent residents of the State who were not eligible under AB PM-JAY, non-dependent family members of CMHIS (Employees and Pensioners) beneficiaries, employees without a PIMS number, and contractual, ad hoc and fixed-pay government staff.

She added that CMHIS (Employees and Pensioners) covered government employees and pensioners eligible for medical allowance or reimbursement, including serving legislators, PSU employees, work-charged staff, pensioners, former legislators and their dependants.

The programme concluded with an interactive session during which media representatives discussed ways to strengthen public awareness through accurate and responsible reporting.

The panel discussion featured NHPS deputy CEO Livitoli Sukhalu, operations manager Alongla Aier, BIS consultant Neitshope Sekhamo, monitoring and evaluation officer Dr. Imlinenla Longchar, and IT support-cum-data manager Seyievito Denny Kin.

NHPS informed that beneficiaries requiring assistance could contact the toll-free helpline 1800-202-3380. General queries may be sent to support-nhps@cmhis.nagaland.gov.in, grievances to grievances.nhps@cmhis.nagaland.gov.in, while requests for deactivation of PM-JAY/CMHIS cards may be sent to card.support@cmhis.nagaland.gov.in.

Source:DIPR