— 100 NEW AAM AADMI CLINICS TO BE INAUGURATED ON MARCH 17, TAKING TOTAL TO 993, SAYS HEALTH MINISTER DR BALBIR SINGH
— PUNJAB ONLY STATE TO PROVIDE UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE OF ₹10 LAKH PER FAMILY PER YEAR
— FIRST SUCCESSFUL LIVER TRANSPLANT IN GOVT SECTOR HEALTHCARE FACILITY MARKS MILESTONE IN TERTIARY CARE IN PUNJAB: DR BALBIR SINGH
CHANDIGARH, March 14:
As the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has completed four years, the state’s healthcare sector stands transformed, having built a seamless ecosystem from grassroots wellness to super-speciality care.
Presenting a report card of the government’s achievements, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Saturday highlighted that Punjab has become the only state in the country offering universal health insurance of ₹10 lakh per family per year.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to accessible primary healthcare, Dr Balbir Singh announced that 100 new Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) will be inaugurated on March 17, 2026. This will take the total number of functional clinics to 993, with 450 more currently in the pipeline.
He informed that the existing 883 AACs have already served over 1.6 crore unique Punjabis, recording more than 5 crore patient visits. At these clinics, 107 essential medicines and 47 diagnostic tests are provided completely free of charge. Notably, over 30,000 pregnant women receive ante-natal care every month at these clinics, and more than 1.1 lakh people are under regular treatment for diabetes and hypertension.
The Minister reiterated that the Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna provides a safety net of ₹10 lakh per family per year, making it the most comprehensive state-funded health insurance scheme in the country. Covering over 2,300 surgeries and disease management packages—including cardiology, oncology, and trauma—the scheme empanels more than 600 top private hospitals, ensuring that even the poorest families can access quality treatment.
In a major achievement for tertiary care, Dr Balbir Singh highlighted the operationalisation of the Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS), where the state’s first successful liver transplant in the public sector was conducted in November 2025.
Furthermore, the government is investing over ₹400 crore in procuring state-of-the-art medical equipment. All district hospitals will be equipped with MRI services, similarly, CT scan services are also being expanded, and new PET scan facilities will be made operational in Amritsar, Faridkot, Mohali, and Patiala.
In the largest recruitment drive in the state’s history, Dr Balbir Singh said that the Punjab government has appointed 948 general doctors and 627 specialists since 2022, constituting nearly 35 percent of the total government doctor workforce. Recruitment of para-medical staff, including nurses and pharmacists, has also been significantly bolstered, he added.
To make Punjab a hub for medical education and stop students from seeking admissions abroad, the government is establishing seven new medical colleges in Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Sangrur, SBS Nagar, Lehragaga, Malerkotla, and Ludhiana. Construction on these colleges will begin soon, adding 600 new MBBS seats to the state. Existing colleges in Patiala, Amritsar, and Faridkot are also being upgraded into Postgraduate Super-Specialty Institutes, he said.
Highlighting the government’s focus on emergency and critical care, the Minister stated that the Farishtey Scheme has saved over 600 lives by providing immediate cashless treatment to accident victims. Infrastructure upgrades are also underway, including the construction of 22 critical care blocks of 50 beds each, he said.
Under the ‘CM Di Yogshala’ initiative, nearly 5,000 supervised yoga sessions are being conducted daily, benefiting about 1.5 lakh citizens. In a decisive battle against the drug menace, the government has established 548 OOAT clinics as part of the ongoing ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign, treating over 10.63 lakh patients through a vast network of de-addiction and rehabilitation centres.
