Punjab govt to check BP, sugar, body mass index of people for early detection of diseases
Chandigarh: The Punjab government will launch a new initiative under which health teams will check blood pressure, sugar, body mass index and basal metabolic rate of 3 crore people for early detection of diseases, Health Minister Balbir Singh said on Saturday. A pilot project in this regard will commence from Patiala in which 1 lakh people will be diagnosed first, he told reporters here.
Singh said both government and private doctors will join the initiative. “Many people do not know what their sugar or blood pressure (BP) is,” he said while stressing on the early detection of diseases.
The minister also said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will dedicate 76 more Aam Aadmi clinics on August 14 to mark the 76th Independence Day, taking the total number of such operational clinics to 659, he said.
Singh said at present, 583 Aam Aadmi clinics are operational out of which, 403 are in villages and 180 are in cities. Over 44 lakh patients have benefitted from these clinics and over 20 lakh patients have undergone free tests in less than a year, he said.
Notably, Mann had inaugurated 75 Aam Aadmi clinics to mark the 75th Independence Day last year.
Singh said the effort to impart quality health services has received good feedback and positive response from the people of the state. He informed that as many as 80 types of medicines and 38 diagnostics tests are available for the patients at such clinics free of cost.
More than 20 lakh free tests and medicines, of approximately Rs 30.25 crore, have been provided to the patients during the last one year, he added.
He said each clinic has a medical officer, pharmacist, clinic assistant and helper, while all the clinics are IT based with the provision of three tablets at each clinic for medical officer, pharmacist and clinic assistant. Patient registration, prescription and dispensation of medicines are being done through these tablets only, he said.
The minister said the state government has appointed 300 house surgeons to strengthen the emergency services at district and sub-divisional hospitals, while 200 post graduate students will be roped in to serve as contractual medical officers with the state health department.
This initiative intended to ensure the availability of specialist services at secondary health facilities, he said. He said to overcome the shortage of specialist doctors at various district hospitals of Punjab, a total of 85 Diplomate of National Board (DNB) seats have been approved in the 14 districts.
Singh also said the state government is all set to upgrade as many as 40 hospitals or secondary healthcare facilities in the state.
He said the state government has also been focusing on strengthening of tertiary care services in the state and a trauma centre worth Rs 233 crore is being established in Patiala, while advanced healthcare facilities, including PET CT scan and nuclear department, are being started in Amritsar.
The minister said by commencing ‘CM Di Yogshalas’ in the state, the state government has started a remarkable initiative which is focused on prevention of the disease and promotion of health.
He said, presently, over 7,000 people are taking benefit of ‘CM di Yogshala’ at 281 yoga camps being organised daily in the state and now, the camps will be increased to 1,000, which will cater to over 25,000 people.Replying to a question, the minister urged the Centre to release funds under the National Health Mission. The Centre had withheld the funds while objecting to changing the name of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres to Aam Aadmi clinics, and for also not complying with the branding norms.
The Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWC) is formulated with a 60:40 contribution ratio by the Centre and state.
