The North News
Chandigarh, October 28
The Punjab government is planning to open Aam Aadmi Clinics inside Central Jails to provide inmates with access to quality physical and mental healthcare. Announcing the pilot project, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh said mental health support is as critical as physical treatment. “We recognise that many behind bars are mentally disturbed, which can be a factor in them committing crimes,” he said.
Calling prisons ‘Sudhar Ghars’ or reform homes, Singh emphasised that real justice lies in rehabilitating individuals. “When an inmate leaves jail, they should be healthy in both body and mind. This holistic reform is essential for realising the Chief Minister’s vision of a ‘Rangla Punjab’,” he added. The new clinics will deploy psychologists and psychiatrists to provide essential psychosocial counselling. The move follows the success of 881 existing Aam Aadmi Clinics across the state, which have provided free treatment to over 4.20 crore people and conducted more than 2.29 crore diagnostic tests since their launch on August 15, 2022.
These clinics offer 107 types of free medicines and 47 kinds of diagnostic tests, including for pregnancy, Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS and Dengue, making healthcare more accessible to the public.
