Starting August 15, the Maharashtra government made available free-of-cost health services in 2,418 state-run health facilities. However, the scheme leaves out hospitals under the medical education department, which means the four major state-run hospitals, under the JJ Group of Hospitals in Mumbai, are not covered by the plan.

Only patients visiting the state-run General Hospital in Malad will be able to avail benefits under the new scheme. Along with expenditure on medical procedures, the scheme also waives registration fees, expenses for lab tests, and screening tests like ECG, X-ray, and CT. mid-day visited a few hospitals and found that no one at the hospital informs patients about such government policies.