In a bid to provide the best healthcare facilities to the people at the grassroot level, Punjab Government will start roping in the services of eminent doctors from IMA (Indian Medical Association) in the Government hospitals, providing them suitable remuneration.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said that the State Health Department would soon ink an MoU with the Punjab Unit of IMA in this regard.
Addressing the doctors during the inaugural function of annual conference of IMA, the Chief Minister asked the IMA and the State Health Department to form a joint coordination committee under his chairmanship to find out a viable solution to the problems confronted by them to further improve the health delivery system across the State.
The Chief Minister said that this panel would give vital suggestions to the State Government for providing the best healthcare and diagnostic facilities to the people at affordable rates. He also asked the Punjab Unit of IMA to recommend the names of those doctors who were rendering exceptionally outstanding medical and health services to the people for bestowing State awards to them in recognition with their superb services towards society during the State level functions organised on January 26 and August 15.
Referring to the enactment of Clinical Establishment Act, Badal categorically said that any legislation related to agriculture, industry and medical & healthcare should ensure level playing field for all the stakeholders by taking them into confidence before the enactment of such laws by the Central Government.
Showing deep concern over the ill effects of deadly diseases like Cancer and Hepatitis, the Chief Minister asked the doctors to intensify their efforts in the field of medical research to combat these fatal diseases which were taking a high toll of lives every year.
He said that the State Government had already declared war against cancer by taking several initiatives including to provide 118 drugs on affordable rates to the cancer patients besides giving a financial assistance of `1.50 lakh to each patient inflicted with cancer from Chief Minister’s Cancer Relief Fund.
Till now, nearly 27,163 patients had been extended this financial assistance to the tune of `335 crore. Apart from this, two advanced cancer treatment centres, one Homi Bhabha Cancer Centre in the Government Hospital Sangrur in collaboration with Tata Memorial Hospital and another 100-bedded Advanced Cancer Research Centre at Bathinda has been set up. likewise, a world class Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre would soon come up at Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) to provide the latest treatment and diagnostic facilities to the cancer patients, said Badal.
Badal emphatically said that none should suffer for the want of proper treatment due to penury and thus it was obligatory on our part to provide the best healthcare and diagnostic facilities to the disadvantaged sections of the society.
He called upon the IMA to play a proactive role to ensure the best treatment at affordable rates to the general public and hoped they would certainly come up to the expectations of the society in the larger public interest.
listing the facilities being extended by the State Government to the medical fraternity in order to give fillip to the medical education, the Chief Minister said that State Government had already enhanced the stipend of medical interns from `4500 to `9000 per month and honorarium of house surgeons from `4800 to `21000 per month.