Punjab expands rural healthcare with Aam Aadmi Pind Clinics; telemedicine-based centres to cover villages with 1,000 population

Chandigarh: With a number of villages in Punjab struggling to access basic healthcare services, particularly in sparsely populated areas, the state govt has decided to establish Aam Aadmi Pind Clinics in villages where no existing health facility is available.The move is aimed at improving access to primary healthcare in rural pockets where residents often travel long distances for routine consultations and medicines. Under the plan, every village with a population of around 1,000 will be covered.Each Aam Aadmi Pind Clinic will have a trained staff nurse and an assistant. The clinics will be connected to the internet and equipped with computers to facilitate online consultations. Doctors will be engaged on an empanelment basis, and patients will consult them virtually. Medicines will be provided free of cost.Officials said footfall in many rural areas remained low, making it impractical to post a full-time doctor permanently in every small village. The teleconsultation model, they believe, will ensure specialist advice without requiring a doctor to be physically present.The govt has designated assistant civil surgeons as district nodal officers for these clinics in their respective districts, while senior medical officers will serve as in-charge of these clinics in their respective blocks.Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh said the decision to establish Aam Aadmi Pind Clinics was aimed at taking healthcare to the last mile. "Our priority is to ensure that no villager is deprived of basic health services simply because they live far from a hospital. Through Aam Aadmi Pind Clinics, we are bringing qualified medical advice, essential medicines and diagnostic support closer to people's homes," he said.The minister further said the teleconsultation model would help address manpower constraints while ensuring quality care. "In smaller villages where patient footfall is limited, it is not practical to station a full-time doctor. By using internet-enabled consultations and trained nursing staff, we can provide timely treatment without compromising standards. Our aim is to strengthen primary healthcare and reduce the financial burden on rural families," he added.Punjab's health infrastructure currently follows a three-tier system comprising district hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals and community health centres. In addition, rural dispensaries and Aam Aadmi Clinics provide primary-level services closer to communities.In a recent decision to further expand the Aam Aadmi Clinic network in the rural areas, the govt approved the strengthening of 308 existing subsidiary health centres under the department of rural development and panchayat by converting these into Aam Aadmi Clinics. These centres will follow the same standardised pattern adopted earlier, including uniform human resources, infrastructure, branding, and the provision of essential drugs and diagnostics.The strengthening exercise will be carried out through a decentralised model via district health societies in 20 districts – Amritsar, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Bathinda, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Moga, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Patiala, Ropar, Sangrur, Mohali, Muktsar and Tarn Taran.These societies are chaired by the respective deputy commissioners, with the civil surgeon serving as the chief executive officer.Punjab currently operates around 500 rural dispensaries, each catering to roughly 10,000 residents. Approximately 530 rural medical officers are posted at these facilities across the state.So far, the department of health established 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics across Punjab. According to the govt, these clinics strengthened access to healthcare services and helped reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for residents by providing consultations, medicines and basic diagnostics free of cost.MSID:: 128641820 413 |