Health infra takes centre stage in Punjab polls
Vishav Bharti
Chandigarh, January 18
Just before the 2017 Assembly elections, the Congress in its manifesto promised to develop all primary and community health centres as independent multi-specialty hospitals. However, the government failed to initiate steps in this direction over the past 58 months.
Key achievements
- De-addiction treatment and availability of drugs
- Ayushman Bharat-Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana
- Institutional births up from 90.5% four years ago to 94.3%
Major failures
- High Covid mortality and positivity rate
- Poor tertiary healthcare services
- Deteriorating rural healthcare services
- Overall vaccination dropped 13% in five years
Gave universal cover
We have upgraded PHCs and CHCs. We handled the Covid waves successfully. Our biggest achievement was universal insurance scheme, covering almost the entire state. — Om Parkash Soni, Deputy CM and minister for health
Basic healthcare missing
The government failed to provide even basic healthcare. District hospitals were acting as referral centres. The insurance scheme is in fact a central initiative poorly implemented in Punjab. — Surjit Kumar Jayani, BJP leader and ex-health minister
Hit new low in 5 years
Our healthcare system was the best in the country, but it was left to rot under a conspiracy over the past two decades. The system’s failure was exposed during Covid wave. — Bhagwant Mann, State AAP President
Let alone upgrading rural primary health centres (PHCs) and community health centres (CHCs) to multi-speciality hospitals, the government went on to tinker with the existing infrastructure by withdrawing doctors posted in rural areas.
The government claims to have opened more than 3,000 health wellness centres in the rural areas. But in reality, the government has not built even a single new building, conveniently withdrawing doctors from PHCs and CHCs and replacing these with nurses and designating them as community health officers.
Besides, the government had made another promise of opening five new medical colleges to provide tertiary care services. However, not even a single college had been opened properly.
In one of the first Cabinet decisions, the idea of establishing Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, SAS Nagar, was conceived but it remained a non-starter. The institute may admit its first batch next year. The other four colleges could not go beyond laying of foundation stones and photo ops even as the term of the Congress government nears its end.
The sorry state of tertiary care was exposed during the first two Covid-19 waves when the government was found helpless in the face of crumbling infrastructure and untrained manpower asked to handle critical care, including ventilators. As per official estimates, there were over 16,000 deaths due to Covid, but going by the Death and Birth Registrar record, the number is four times higher.
The state government had also been boasting about the Ayushman Bharat-Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana (AB-MMSBY), which covers around 40 lakh families and under which the government claims to have offered free treatment worth Rs 1,112.41 crore to 9.63 lakh beneficiaries.
However, health experts feel the scheme is nothing but an escape route from its constitutional responsibility of providing healthcare to every citizen. The scheme shows how the government assumed the role of a facilitator from that of a service provider.
The government remained under fire from Opposition parties over poor healthcare in the state. Terming the government’s performance as poor, AAP president Bhagwant Mann said in the past five years, state’s healthcare had hit a new low. Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, SAD general secretary and spokesperson, accused the government of using Covid-19 to mint money by ordering vaccines for further supply to private hospitals.
LEADERSPEAK
Ruling party now a sinking ship
The Congress is now a sinking ship. The popularity of the ruling party has been on the decline ever since Capt Amarinder Singh resigned from the CM’s post. It won’t be easy for the Congress this time.— Harjot Kamal, BJP
Poll Nuggets
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Former DGP Gill backs Moga MLA
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