Ludhiana, Aug 15 (IANS) Fulfilling a poll promise to provide free and quality health services to the people of Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday dedicated an Aam Aadmi Clinic in this industrial city.
A total of 75 such clinics were simultaneously inaugurated across the state, setting in motion the first step towards revolutionising primary health care facilities in Punjab.
"On this historic day, the Aam Aadmi Party government has dedicated these clinics to the people to ensure that they have access to quality healthcare services, without paying a single penny," said the Chief Minister, while dedicating the clinic.
The Chief Minister said these clinics will be opened in every nook and corner of the state, adding, that in big villages, two such clinics will be opened for the convenience of the people.
He said in the first phase, 75 such Aam Aadmi clinics have been dedicated to people to mark the 75th Independence Day.
The Chief Minister said that every Aam Aadmi clinic will have a staff of four-five persons, including an MBBS doctor, a lab technician and a nurse, to diagnose and treat the patients.
Mann said 41 packages with around 100 clinical tests will be offered to the people free of cost in these Aam Aadmi Clinics. He said his government has fulfilled one of the major poll promises with setting up of these clinics both in urban and rural areas.
The Chief Minister envisioned that these clinics will be a stepping stone in revamping the healthcare system in Punjab.
Mann expressed hope that 90 per cent of patients will get treated from these clinics only thereby reducing the burden in hospitals.
He said only the serious patients with major ailments will be further referred to the hospitals.
The Chief Minister said that this revolutionary decision will rejuvenate the healthcare system in state. He said the patients will have facility of online appointment in these Clinics.
Mann said that these clinics will provide free medicines and primary diagnostic facilities.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the state government is according top priority to health and education sectors.
He said the government Civil Hospitals across the state will be spruced up in the coming days for imparting quality health services to people.
Mann also said 2,140 well qualified doctors have applied for these posts.
Conceding the proposal of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to introduce home delivery of atta under National Food Security Act (NFSA), the entire state has been divided into eight zones and the service will commence in one zone in the first phase, in two zones in the second phase, and in the remaining five zones in the last and third phase.
A decision to this effect was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the posts belong to Group A, B and C. Major departments include Home Affairs, School Education, Health, Power and Technical Education.
Besides Mittal, the Chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU), others who were elected in the recently concluded biennial election from Punjab are businessman Sanjeev Arora and AAP Punjab co in-charge Raghav Chadha.
In April, 1.15 kg of cocaine concealed in pills ingested by a passenger was seized at Hyderabad, and in another case one kg of cocaine was seized at Bengaluru in August 2021. Apart from Mumbai and Hyderabad, seizures of cocaine have also been affected at other airports also.
Sonia Gandhi, on the recommendation of the Congress disciplinary committee, has stripped Sunil Jakhar of all posts and he will not be given any post till two years. After this decision Jakhar has been more vocal on the issue.
For Saturday, the IMD has predicted maximum temperature to be around 44 degrees Celsius and minimum to be at 26 degrees Celsius with heat wave conditions at few places and partly cloudy skies.
