The Punjab health department has decided to widen the scope of medical services provided at the Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) and include pregnancy care, newborn care, child immunisation, and treatment for dog bite cases and non-communicable diseases here to bring them at par with primary healthcare centres (PHC).
Until now, these services were available only at PHCs.
The decision comes after the department identified significant gaps in the early detection of high-risk patients, particularly pregnant women. Before the services are rolled out, medical officers of AACs will be given requisite training. Punjab has 842 AACs in all.
Confirming the development, Kumar Rahul, principal secretary, health, said they would roll out primary health services in all AACs in the coming weeks. “So far, the AACs across the state have seen a patient footfall of 3.45 crore. In view of this, we decided to extend primary health services in these centres. This will further strengthen our primary healthcare,” he said.
The delivery of primary healthcare services had been adversely affected after the launch of AACs as medical officers posted here would only attend to routine OPD cases, resulting in a disruption of core primary health services. In many instances, PHCs were converted into AACs, which further deepened the gap.
“Of course, there were gaps, especially related to the early detection of high-risk pregnant women. The doctors at AACs were not attending ANC (antenatal care) patients. Now, they will have to, as part of our new programme,” said a senior health officer pleading anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}“Of course, there were gaps, especially related to the early detection of high-risk pregnant women. The doctors at AACs were not attending ANC (antenatal care) patients. Now, they will have to, as part of our new programme,” said a senior health officer pleading anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}The Punjab government has already started free dengue test services at AACs. This test was earlier conducted only at district and sub-divisional hospitals.
Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) state president Dr Akhil Sarin said, “It is a welcome step as it will effectively strengthen the primary healthcare services related to pregnancy care and family planning at the grassroots levels.”