Punjab to get mohalla clinics, health insurance for all citizens, announces CM

A new medical college will be set up at Mohali, he announced again; and a satellite centre of PGIMER at Ferozepur, work on which had remained pending for more than a year during the previous government, would be established to address the demand-supply gap in medical education, the CM said.

Decrying the decline in healthcare systems under the previous regime, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has announced his government’s decision to establish wellness mohalla (ward) clinics across the state.

(HT representative image)

He also told the Vidhan Sabha that his government had initiated the process of providing health insurance to all the citizens so that they can get quality healthcare facilities at affordable cost, said a press note issued by his office on Monday.

The chief minister said that in just three months his government had initiated screening of health of all adults above the age of 30 years as a measure to prevent spread of diseases. The School Health Programme has also been reinforced to ensure regular health check-up of all school children.

A special drive will be undertaken to fill the vacancies of superspecialists, and the government has already cleared long overdue promotions to redress pending grievances of our doctors, he informed the House.

To further promote healthcare, the government is also focusing on improving medical education, said the CM. A new medical college will be set up at Mohali, he announced again; and a satellite centre of PGIMER at Ferozepur, work on which had remained pending for more than a year during the previous government, would be established to address the demand-supply gap in medical education, the CM said.

For the first time, said Captain Amarinder, the government has given an incentive of 30% marks to PCMS doctors in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for post-graduation.