Punjab News Daily
Chandigarh, March 6

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria reiterated the firm commitment of the Punjab government to serve Punjab and its people with utmost dedication and sincerity and said the government is working to take Punjab forward on the path of development for carving out a vibrant and progressive ‘Rangla Punjab’. Addressing the twelfth Budget Session of the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria presented a comprehensive account of the initiatives undertaken by the Punjab government across healthcare, education, agriculture, infrastructure, governance, welfare, industry and public services.

Highlighting the Punjab government’s efforts to strengthen public healthcare, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said, “The Punjab government is committed to build a robust, inclusive and people-centric healthcare system that ensures quality, affordability and accessibility for every citizen by operating an extensive healthcare network comprising 23 District Hospitals, 42 Sub-Divisional Hospitals, 162 Community Health Centres, 523 Primary Health Centres, 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics and 2453 Health and Wellness Centres reflecting the Punjab Government’s strong commitment to universal health coverage.”

He further stated, “881 Aam Aadmi Clinics across Punjab provide 107 medicines and 47 diagnostic tests free of cost and have already recorded over 4.7 crore OPD visits, including 1.55 crore unique patients. In 2025-26, Punjab is set to cross nearly 2 crore primary healthcare OPD visits, thus demonstrating a new, cost-effective, patient-centric primary healthcare model that is being widely recognised. 240 additional Aam Aadmi Clinics will be operational shortly.”

The Governor said, “Pregnancy care services introduced at Aam Aadmi Clinics across Punjab have led to a decline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio from 105 to 90, reflecting the Punjab Government’s sustained focus on safe motherhood. The Punjab Government has also introduced anti-rabies vaccination services at Aam Aadmi Clinics.”

Emphasising the strengthening of the healthcare workforce, the Governor said, “The Punjab Government has undertaken the largest-ever recruitment of doctors in its history. Since 2022, the Punjab Government has recruited a total of 934 doctors for government hospitals, accounting for nearly 25 percent of the total doctors currently serving in Punjab.”

He added, “The Punjab Government has initiated the recruitment and empanelment of nearly 400 specialist doctors, representing the largest specialist expansion. Recruitment of nearly 400 nursing personnel is almost complete, while an additional 500 positions are currently in the pipeline.”

Highlighting universal health coverage, Governor noted, “The Punjab Government has launched Universal Health Coverage ensuring 100 percent coverage of the entire population of Punjab under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojana’. The scheme will provide cashless health cover of up to ₹10 lakh per family per year for 2356 medical and surgical procedures through a wide network of Government and empanelled private hospitals which are approximately 900 in number in Punjab and Chandigarh.”

He added, “Under this scheme every Punjabi shall get a Sehat Card to facilitate the easy cashless insurance claim processing.”