Khushiyon Ki Sawari Sewa - Uttarakhand (for pregnant women & newborn babies)

Why was Khushiyon Ki Sawari Sewa Introduced

Before the introduction of Khushiyon Ki Sawari Sewa, many pregnant women and families in remote or hilly regions of Uttarakhand faced severe difficulties accessing timely medical care during pregnancy and childbirth. Due to rugged terrain, limited rural transport, and out-of-pocket travel costs, families often had to arrange expensive private transport or delay visiting healthcare facilities altogether. This barrier led to low rates of institutional deliveries and higher risks of maternal and infant mortality.

To address this, the Uttarakhand government launched Khushiyon Ki Sawari Sewa on September 19, 2011, under the National Health Mission (NHM). By offering 100% free, round-trip hospital transport for delivery. While government health insurance schemes usually focus on hospital treatment costs, schemes like Khushiyon Ki Sawari Sewa address the critical transportation gap so families can access quality health insurance benefits and medical care without delay.

Khushiyon ki Sawari Sewa - Key Highlights

Who is Eligible for Khushiyon ki Sawari Sewa

• Women During Pregnancy: All women who are expecting and living in the state of Uttarakhand are eligible for free travel from their residence to state hospitals for prenatal care, ultrasound examination, and childbirth.
• New Mothers & Newborns : Post-delivery, mothers accompanied by their newborns are entitled to free drop-back transport from the hospital to their homes.
• Infants (0-1 year): sick infants of age up to one year and their parents/guardians are eligible for free transport to any state government hospital for treatment and immunisation.

What Khushiyon ki Sawari Sewa Covers

• Prenatal Care Transport: Free transportation from residence to governmental health care centres for ANC checkups and for the ultrasound tests as recommended by the doctor.
• Transport for Delivery: Transportation for delivery from residence to government hospitals like PHC, CHC, District Hospital, and Medical Colleges immediately after going into labour.
• Post-Natal Drop-Back: Free transport service to drop the mother and newborn back home safely after discharge from the government hospital.
• Infant’s Emergency & Health Care Transport: Free transportation for babies who are one year old or younger, along with their parents, for routine health checkups, emergencies, and vaccination services in the government hospitals.
• Emergency Services: Toll-free 102 number facility for immediate allocation and transportation of the vehicle in cities and remote areas of Uttarakhand.

What Khushiyon ki Sawari Sewa does not Cover

• Private Hospital Care: Transport services to, from, or between private hospitals, nursing homes, and non-government healthcare facilities.
• Out-of-State Travel: Inter-state transport or transfers to health facilities located outside the boundaries of Uttarakhand.
• Direct Financial Allowance: Monetary compensation, cash reimbursements, or direct financial support to patients (the benefit is strictly 100% free ambulance service).

Documents Required to Apply for Khushiyon ki Sawari Sewa

To avail the benefits of the free transport service under Khushiyon Ki Sawari Sewa, beneficiaries should present the following basic documentation:

• Identity Proof: Any official government photo ID, such as an Aadhaar Card, Voter ID Card, or Ration Card.
• Mother and Child Protection (MCP) / Antenatal Care Card (ANC) Card: The pregnancy registration card issued by the health centre or ASHA worker.
• Doctor's Prescription / Referral: Official medical prescription or referral note from a government doctor for scheduled ultrasound scans or prenatal check-ups.
• Discharge Slip: Hospital discharge card/summary (required for post-delivery drop-back service to home).
• Child's Birth/Immunisation Record: For infant transport (0–1 year), the birth certificate or vaccination card.
• Digital Health Identification: Carrying an ABHA Card is increasingly helpful at government facilities to digitally track antenatal care records, prescriptions, and immunisations. Patients can easily create an ABHA Health ID online or at the healthcare centre using their Aadhaar card.

Steps Involved in Applying for Khushiyon ki Sawari Sewa

• Step 1: Dial 102, the toll-free helpline number from your telephone.
• Step 2: Let the operator know that you require transportation as per the scheme, and also give them your location, destination hospital, and purpose of travel (like childbirth, an ultrasonic test, or a baby's vaccination).
• Step 3: Keep your valid photo ID (Aadhaar Card or Voter ID) and medical reports ready to present to the health staff upon arrival.

Support and Contact Information

Other Related Government Schemes

• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a central scheme under the National Health Mission that provides direct cash assistance to pregnant women in order to encourage institutional delivery.
• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) Guarantees completely free healthcare services including free medicines, diagnostics, blood transfusions, and diet for pregnant women and sick infants.
• Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana (AAUY) state health insurance scheme launched by the government of Uttarakhand that offers universal state-funded health coverage up to ₹5 lakh per family annually for cashless secondary and tertiary hospitalisation across empanelled hospitals.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a central scheme that provides a direct cash incentive paid in instalments to pregnant women and lactating mothers for their first living child to compensate for wage loss and support nutrition.
• Ayushman Bharat Yojana (PM-JAY) is a central scheme launched on September 23, 2018. It is designed to provide health coverage to vulnerable, low-income households across the country.

Other Government Schemes of Uttrakhand

• State Government Health Scheme (SGHS/Golden Card Scheme): Covers unlimited medical treatment on a cashless basis to all state government servants, pensioners, and their dependents in the empaneled hospitals all over India through digital Golden Card.
• Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (MSBY): Cashless insurance scheme providing an annual coverage of up to ₹1.25 lakh per family for health care of the poor and vulnerable families, covering secondary hospitalization and surgery among other diseases.
• Nishulk-Swasthya-Jaanch-Yojana: Free Tests and Services. The scheme provides free essential diagnostic services so that there is no monetary expenditure incurred in early diagnosis of diseases to make prompt outpatient diagnosis.
• Free Drugs Scheme: The State Health Insurance Scheme that provides thousands of essential medicines and surgical instruments, generic drugs, free of cost in public health institutions.
• eSwasthya Dham: A functional digital health portal that facilitates efficient healthcare management in the state. This facility plays an active role during the Char Dham Yatra wherein the pilgrims can create their 14-digit Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) cards.