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Punjab to expand rural healthcare with 1,100 Aam Aadmi Pind Clinics
State health minister Dr Balbir Singh said they were planning to open up to 1,100 pind clinics in the first phase and then extend them to 2,500 to cover all 12,500 villages of Punjab
With only 16% of Punjab’s villages currently covered by the 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics, the state government is planning to expand rural healthcare access by rolling out around 1,100 “Aam Aadmi Pind Clinics”.
State health minister Dr Balbir Singh said they were planning to open up to 1,100 pind clinics in the first phase and then extend them to 2,500 to cover all 12,500 villages of Punjab. The existing 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics cater to around 2,000 villages, accounting for just 16% of the total in the state.
“The pind clinics are aimed at providing affordable, accessible and quality primary healthcare services to underserved villages. These clinics will serve as the first interface of contact for individuals seeking medical treatment,” said Dr Balbir.
Bringing care closer
Health officials said these pind clinics will be set up at accessible locations based on population density, existing healthcare infrastructure and community needs.
Explaining the clinics’ functioning, officials said one team comprising an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM)/staff nurse and a pharmacist will cover two clinics daily.
Doctors will be available for tele-consultation through video conferencing, with each doctor overseeing five pind clinics simultaneously through a software-based token system.
“Upon a patient’s arrival, the pharmacist will record the chief complaint and register the patient on the same online portal currently used for Aam Aadmi Clinics, issuing a token. The ANM will record the patient’s vitals, if required, based on the nature of the complaint. The patient will then be asked to wear earphones connected to a computer system, through which the doctor will provide consultation via video conferencing with assistance from the ANM. After the prescription is generated, the patient will visit the pharmacy counter, where the pharmacist will dispense medicines as per the doctor’s prescription,” reads the health department document on pind clinics.
“Apart from reducing burden on the secondary healthcare system, these clinics will also carry out various community engagement activities such as campaigns, public health day-related tasks, health scheme awareness programmes and other initiatives in alignment with the state government’s public health efforts,” said an official.
Meanwhile, Dr Jasbir Aulakh, member, Indian Doctors’ for Peace and Development, a voluntary organisation, criticised the government’s move, saying, “The government should first review the existing model of telemedicine in district hospitals and ayushman kendras, and fill the vacant posts. It should also take over the health facilities of the rural department.”
