500 more Aam Aadmi Clinics soon in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, November 15

The state government is going to upgrade around 500 more rural and urban Primary Health Centres (PHC) to Aam Aadmi Clinics in the next two months. According to sources, the Health Department has prepared a list of 521 PHCs, which can be upgraded to Aam Aadmi Clinics. As per the file sent to the government, these clinics will be operationalised by January 26.

As per the plan, the upcoming clinics will be opened in the already existing buildings of PHCs located in the villages and towns of the state. With new equipment and infrastructure, these buildings will be upgraded. Even the manpower in the majority of the clinics is to be managed through internal management of the Health Department. Around 85 new doctors will also be recruited from the existing pool of already selected doctors in August for the upcoming clinics.

Dr Ranjit Singh Ghotra, Director, Family Welfare, said during recent review meeting even the Union Government hailed the Aam Aadmi Clinics as well-maintained clinics, manned by an MBBS doctor and a team of paramedical staff. “Availability of various lab tests and medicines free of cost at the Aam Admi Clinics is contributing to the high patient OPD,” he said.

As per the proposal prepared by the Health Department, the maximum 44 such clinics are to be opened in Amritsar district followed by Ludhiana 47, Patiala 40, Jalandhar 37, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur 33 each, Bathinda 24; Sangrur 26, Fazilka 22, and Ferozepur, SAS Nagar and Muktsar 19 each.

Significantly, the Aam Aadmi Clinics opened in August this year had been a huge success. As per the government data, over 7,000 people are availing healthcare facilities every day in the 100 (65 in urban and 35 in rural) Aam Aadmi Clinics. At present these clinics offer 100 medicines and 41 basic lab testing facilities.