Nishulk Swasthya Jaanch Yojana - Uttarakhand

What is the Nishulk Swasthya Jaanch Yojana?

Nishulk Swasthya Jaanch Yojana is Uttarakhand's Free Diagnostics Service, run by the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare through the National Health Mission. Nishulk Swasthya Jaanch Yojana lets patients get laboratory and imaging tests done free of cost at government hospitals, so that people using the public health system do not have to pay a private laboratory for the basic investigations a doctor orders. The name translates as "free health test scheme", and readers also find it as the Uttarakhand Free Diagnostics Service.

According to the National Health Mission Uttarakhand, the service started on 12 August 2021 and was first rolled out across 254 public health facilities to 110 in the Kumaon region and 144 in the Garhwal region. At present about 208 pathological tests are done free of cost up to the PHC level, and the wider free-diagnostics package is reported to cover roughly 266 tests. Test costs are settled against the CGHS 2020 rate list, and the laboratories are run under a public-private partnership so that they operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at district and sub-district level.

Main features

• Free pathology and diagnostic tests at government hospitals. The patient pays nothing for a listed test.
• About 208-266 tests covered, from routine blood and urine work to other investigations.
• Delivered at district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, CHCs and PHCs.
• No separate application; the doctor's prescription is enough.

Who is eligible for the Nishulk Swasthya Jaanch Yojana?

You can use the free diagnostics service if:

• You are a patient at a government hospital, CHC or PHC in Uttarakhand.
• A government doctor has prescribed the test as part of your treatment.

You are not eligible for a free test if:

• You want a test done at a private laboratory of your own choosing. The free package applies to the laboratories run inside government facilities, not to private labs.
• The test is not part of the covered list and is not ordered by the treating government doctor.

No income certificate, caste certificate or ration card is required, and there is no age, category or below-poverty-line condition. The service is built into the public hospital, so being a patient there is what makes you eligible. This is why the scheme has no beneficiary form and no last date. A resident of one district who falls ill in another can still get the free test at any government facility in Uttarakhand, because eligibility follows the patient, not the address.

What tests are covered and how are they priced?

The Free Diagnostics Service covers routine and diagnostic investigations such as blood counts, blood sugar, kidney and liver function tests, urine analysis, and other pathology and imaging work, adding up to about 208 tests at PHC level and roughly 266 across the package. Each test is costed against the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) 2020 rate list, and the government pays the contracted service provider — the patient is not billed. Alongside diagnostics, Uttarakhand also runs a Free Essential Drug Scheme covering hundreds of medicines and surgical items, so a patient can often complete both testing and treatment inside the public system at no cost.

Higher investigations sit higher in the system. A primary health centre handles routine pathology, while more complex tests are concentrated at the district and sub-district hospitals, where the laboratories run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A patient is never charged for moving up a level: the referral keeps the test inside the free package, so the CGHS-priced cost is settled between the government and the service provider, not with the patient.

How is the free laboratory run?

The Free Diagnostics Service works on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. According to the National Health Mission Uttarakhand, a contracted service provider operates the laboratories that sit inside the government hospitals and is responsible for testing at all district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres on a 24x7x365 basis. The government pays the provider against the CGHS 2020 rate list for each test done, so the money follows the test rather than the patient paying up front. This design is why a patient sees no bill and needs no card beyond the ordinary OPD slip. The scheme is embedded in the hospital itself rather than run as a separate benefit a citizen has to enrol in.

How to apply for a free test under the scheme

There is no separate registration or beneficiary form. "Applying" simply means walking in as a patient and using the doctor's prescription. Follow these steps:

1. Register at the government hospital. Make your OPD card at the reception of a district hospital, sub-district hospital, CHC or PHC in Uttarakhand. This costs only the small routine OPD registration charge, not a fee for the test.
2. See the doctor and collect the prescription. The government doctor examines you and writes the tests you need on the OPD slip.
3. Go to the hospital laboratory. Hand over the prescription at the in-house lab run by the contracted service provider. Give the sample; blood, urine or as required: at the collection counter during the notified timings.
4. Collect the report free of cost. The lab does the test at no charge and gives you the report, which the doctor then reviews. No payment is taken for a test that is part of the free package.
5. Get referred upward if needed. If a specialised test is not done at your PHC or CHC, the facility refers you to a district hospital, where the same test is done free.

How do I check that a test is free?

Because there is no online beneficiary account, the simplest check is at the hospital itself: the free-diagnostics counter or the list displayed at government labs shows which tests are covered. If a facility asks you to pay for a listed test or refers you to an outside private lab for something the government lab should do free, note it and raise it with the medical superintendent, or call the health helpline 104. Keeping your OPD slip and any receipt helps if you need to complain.

What are common problems and how to fix them?

• Asked to pay for a covered test: the listed tests are free; escalate to the hospital administration or 104.
• Test not available at a small facility: some specialised tests are done only at district level; the PHC will refer you upward, and the test remains free there.
• Long queue or delayed report: labs run round the clock at DH and SDH level, so ask about sample-collection timings, which are sometimes fixed for the morning.

Key facts about the scheme

• Nishulk Swasthya Jaanch Yojana is Uttarakhand's Free Diagnostics Service under the National Health Mission.
• It began on 12 August 2021 across 254 public health facilities.
• About 208 tests are free up to PHC level, within a package of roughly 266.
• Tests are priced on the CGHS 2020 rate list and delivered through a public-private partnership.

Help and grievance redressal

• Health helpline: dial 104 for questions about which tests are free and to report being charged wrongly.
• At the hospital: the medical superintendent or the free-diagnostics counter handles on-site complaints.
• State portal: the National Health Mission Uttarakhand free-diagnostics page at nhm.uk.gov.in lists the service details.

The tests covered by the scheme are free at government facilities. No patient should be charged for a listed investigation ordered by a government doctor.