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Tribune Impact
Poor Healthcare
NHRC notice to Punjab
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 19
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has served a notice on the Punjab government on the basis of a report published in The Tribune on February 9, asking the state to submit an action taken report to the commission within six weeks.

In a press release issued today, the NHRC said after going through the contents of the report “Public healthcare in Punjab a sham”, the commission sent a notice to the state chief secretary and asked the authorities to look into the allegations.

The report stated that a person, Amar Singh, met with an accident at the Chandigarh railway station while he was returning to his native place, Sadhupur in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh

His leg was severely injured and he had been virtually immobilised due to the accident. The victim needed hip operation but did not get any treatment in government hospitals in Sector 32 and Sector 16, Chandigarh, where he was admitted. He did not get any treatment in the government hospital, Sector 32, as well. It went on to add that the victim had been lying at a bus stop adjacent to the CBI office in Sector 30 since then.

The NHRC added the report stated despite having the highest per capita income in the country, the public healthcare system in Punjab was in bad shape. “The report said 39 per cent of doctors and 44 per cent of medical staff were absent on any given day at public health centres in the state. These centres even lacked diagnostic facilities and medicines.”

The press report further said the state and the Chandigarh administration had not taken any initiative to implement the National Health Insurance Policy where the BPL families were given virtually free insurance. After going through contents of the press report, the commission directed that the same may be forwarded to the chief secretary, Punjab.