To provide healthcare services free of cost to the people, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced the launch of the government's flagship program of Mohalla Clinics dedicating 75 such clinics in the first phase on the 75th Independence anniversary on August 15.
Mann, chairing a high-level meeting of senior officers, said that the State Government would be fulfilling one of the major poll promises with the setting up of these clinics both in urban and rural areas in a phased manner on the Delhi pattern. Taking part in the deliberations, the Chief Minister also gave a nod to convert the non-functional Sewa Kendras across the State into Mohalla Clinics thereby refurbishing such complexes on a uniform pattern with basic interior components including doctor’s room, reception-cum-waiting area, pharmacy, besides separate toilets for staff and visiting patients.
He also directed the Principal Secretary (Public Works) to work out the modalities for sprucing up the interiors of Sewa Kendras, so that these could be suitably converted into Mohalla Clinics. The CM also suggested forming a cluster of five to six adjoining villages by establishing a Mohalla Clinic at a central location, easily accessible to all, which would help in bringing a majority of people residing in rural areas within its ambit.
During the meeting, a brief presentation was made by the senior architect to apprise the Chief Minister about various options for the proposed design and layout of these Mohalla Clinics.
Meanwhile, the state’s Health and Family Welfare secretary Ajoy Sharma informed the Chief Minister about the already existing network of nearly 3000 Sub-Centres in the rural areas being efficiently manned by the trained Paramedics staff headed by the Community Health Officer. He mooted a proposal to convert these Sub-Centres also into Mohalla Clinics, thus widening its scope and outreach so that the maximum number of people residing in villages could be benefitted from the state government’s unique healthcare initiative.
Summing up the deliberations, the Chief Minister asked the Health Secretary to immediately start the process to hire services of doctors or paramedics on a contract basis, who were willing to offer their services for this noble cause in Mohalla Clinics.
Mann also directed the Health Secretary to work out an action plan for hiring an agency for clinical tests. To which, the Health Secretary informed that the process for recruitment of requisite staff was already underway and the tendering process for hiring the services of the agency for clinical tests would be done by May 31.
CONG DUBS TURNING SEWA KENDRAS INTO MOHALLA CLINICS AS DRAMA
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Friday questioned the AAP Government’s logic in converting the ‘Sewa Kendras’ (service centres) into ‘Mohala Clinics’ when there was already a huge medical infrastructure existing in the state.
Warring advised the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that instead of “parroting” what he was told by his masters sitting in Delhi, he should work on Punjab’s own model. “Punjab is not a single municipal corporation like Delhi, it is a full-fledged state with entirely different and diverse needs,” he told the Chief Minister asking him not to make Punjab so subservient to Delhi even for the health needs.
The state Congress chief pointed out that in Punjab, every district headquarter has a full-fledged Civil Hospital with a lot of infrastructure and doctors and paramedical staff. “Then there are sub-district hospitals at Sub-Division and tehsil and block levels. Even below that, Punjab already has about 3000 medical sub-centres and dispensaries providing healthcare to people. So what is the point in setting up ‘mohalla clinics’?” he asked, while remarking, “or just to satisfy somebody’s ego in Delhi, where their success is already disputed”.
Warring asked Mann why the Delhi health system collapsed during COVID pandemic if it was really so good that Punjab needed to copy it. “You will agree with me that patients from Delhi came to Punjab for treatment and now you are making Punjab copy Delhi...What is the point in converting service-centres, originally set up for providing various services at doorsteps to the people, into Mohalla clinics when there are thousands of dispensaries already existing in Punjab, whose functioning can be improved,” he added.