The Sikkim government has sought technical assistance and ongoing cooperation from Nagaland to adopt the Nagaland Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS), following a meeting at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat in Kohima on Monday between Sikkim Chief Minister’s Secretary Karma N. Bhutia and Nagaland Development Commissioner Y. Kikheto Sema. The request aims to replicate Nagaland’s model of cashless treatment and access to empanelled hospitals outside the state.
Bhutia said the Sikkim delegation visited Kohima to gain practical insights into implementing a health insurance system that offers cashless care and cross‑state hospital access. He praised Nagaland’s health coverage initiatives and expressed interest in learning from Nagaland’s experience despite obstacles the state encountered while setting up the scheme, including hospital empanelment, reimbursement and service delivery challenges.
Y. Kikheto Sema outlined CMHIS’s evolution from the earlier Central Government Health Insurance Scheme, noting that the program initially struggled with limited empanelment and low reimbursement rates. He said the State Government revised those arrangements, improved reimbursement levels and expanded the network of empanelled hospitals to make the scheme more effective.
Sema informed the visiting team that more than 70 hospitals nationwide are now empanelled under CMHIS, including facilities in Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati commonly used by Nagaland patients, alongside government and private hospitals within the state. He added that roughly 64,000 beneficiaries have been registered and about Rs. 252 crore has been disbursed for treatment under the scheme over nearly four years.
Sema also said CMHIS has extended coverage to many residents who were not included under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM JAY), thereby widening access to cashless healthcare. On the wider development front, he acknowledged progress since Nagaland’s statehood but urged stronger efforts in health, roads, agriculture and allied sectors.
The Sikkim delegation included Special Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office Depen Sharma, Chief Medical Officer to the Chief Minister Dr. Subash Tamang and Staff Officer to the Chief Medical Officer Tenzing Chopel Bhutia.
Original Source: https://nenews.in/nagaland/sikkim-seeks-nagalands-expertise-to-adopt-cmhis-health-insurance-scheme/62880/
Category: Nagaland,health insurance scheme,Nagaland government,Sikkim government
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Publish Date: 2026-09-01 17:33:00
