The North News
Chandigarh, December 29
Punjab government has taken sweeping steps over the past year to expand access to affordable and advanced healthcare, ranging from neighbourhood clinics to specialised treatments such as liver transplants. State Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the reforms, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, aim to reduce out-of-pocket expenses and strengthen services across primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care.
At the centre of the push are the state-run Aam Aadmi Clinics, which the government says have handled more than 45.9 million patient visits since their launch, including nearly 16 million unique patients. The clinics currently provide 107 medicines and 47 diagnostic tests free of charge, with another 235 clinics planned to widen coverage.
The minister also announced that coverage under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna will be doubled from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh per family per year from next month. The scheme offers cashless treatment at government and empanelled private hospitals in Punjab and Chandigarh. Officials say this would make Punjab the first state to offer universal cashless healthcare up to ₹10 lakh per family.
He further said that the drug availability has been expanded under the Free Drug Initiative, with the essential medicines list increased to 360 items. The government says medicines and supplies worth more than ₹104 crore have been procured since April 2025, alongside decentralised local закуп for non-listed drugs to avoid shortages, he added.
Diagnostic services have also been widened, with X-ray and ultrasound facilities now available at all secondary healthcare centres or through empanelled diagnostic facilities at government-fixed rates,.
To address staff shortages, he said that the state has recruited 3,620 health professionals over the past three years, including specialists, doctors and nurses. Measures such as re-employing specialists up to the age of 65 and hiring on an empanelment basis are being used to boost specialist availability.
In medical education and research, Punjab recorded its first successful public-sector liver transplant at the Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in Mohali. The government has also increased MBBS and postgraduate seats at medical colleges in Amritsar, Patiala, Mohali, Faridkot and Chandigarh.
Preventive health programmes featured prominently during the year. Officials say the “Har Shukarvaar Dengue Te Vaar” campaign led to a 70% fall in dengue cases and a 90% reduction in deaths compared with 2023. Projects targeting heart attacks and strokes have now been extended to all 23 districts, offering free clot-busting drugs and advanced stroke procedures.
Cancer screening using artificial intelligence has been launched in five districts, while day-care cancer centres are now operational in Bathinda and Jalandhar. Under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme, more than half a million people were screened for Hepatitis C and nearly 3.7 lakh for Hepatitis B, with free treatment provided to eligible patients.
Infrastructure upgrades over the year included a revamped emergency wing at Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, new trauma centres in Amritsar and Patiala, and additional super-speciality, child care and residential facilities at medical colleges.
“Our focus is on building a strong, humane and future-ready health system,” Dr Balbir Singh said.
