Government of India has approved the Nation Health Mission Punjab’s state programme in implementation plan for 2017-18 amounting to Rs. 806.28 crores. Disclosing this here today Mr. Brahm Mohindra, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab said that Punjab state had put forth a strong case to Government of India for a major upliftment of health care services and a series of new initiatives in the Public Health Sector. He said that Punjab state’s team headed by Mrs. Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, Health Punjab and Mr. Varun Roojam, Mission Director, NHM personally pursued the plan submitted by the state with the GoI. Activities were discussed with senior officers of Minister of Health and Family Welfare, GoI during the national programme coordination committee’s (NPCC) meeting held in New Delhi. Mr. Brahm Mohindra stated that among the new initiatives approved by GoI, the major initiatives included the setting up of Health and Wellness centres.
Under this initiative 200 sub centres of the state will be strengthened as health and wellness centres, were promotive, preventive and primary curative health and health care services will be provided to the citizens. Special courses for staff nurses in order to train them for primary health care have also been approved.These staff nurses will be posted at sub centres as community health officers and a budget of Rs. 12.65 crore have been approved for this task.The Health Minister further disclosed that with the aim to meet the shortage of specialists, especially Gynecologists and Paediatricians, DNB course at district hospital Ludhiana has been approved. In addition to this, all districts and sub divisional hospitals will be computerized in a phased manner and a proposal amounting to Rs. 9.45 crore has been approved for the purpose. In an out of box initiative, state government has planned to provide free treatment for the elderly’s (senior citizens).
While sharing the other major highlights of the Punjab’s plan for 2017-18, Health Minister revealed that Rs. 195.11 crore now stands approved for providing the equipments and drugs to all the Health institutions including free drugs and diagnostics. Construction of new MCH wings at district hospital Pathankot and Tarn Taran and CHC Bham and Fatehgarh Churian has been approved and funds to the tune of Rs. 22.00 crore have been approved for this purpose. With the aim to provide respectable housing for doctors and para medicals at sub divisional hospitals new construction of residences have been approved at the cost of Rs. 9.00 crore.In addition, Punjab has managed to get allocated Rs. 278.59 crore for the salaries of specialists, medical officers, staff nurses and other para medicals. Rs. 29.92 crore has been approved for the flagship schemes of Janani Shishu Surakhsha Karyakaram (JSSK) and Janani Surakhsha Yojna (JSY) under which free treatment to all pregnant women and infants is provided in addition women. Another Rs. 15.83 crore have been approved for Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram (RBSK) wherein health screening of children in government and aided schools, Anganwardis and treatment of 30 specific diseases is undertaken. In order to provide incentive and training to ASHAs a fund of Rs. 45.96 crore has also been approved.
Mr. Brahm Mohindra further informed that for smooth implementation of National Urban Health Mission Rs. 33.58 crore has been approved for strengthening the health care institutions, outreach camps and Mahila Arogya Smitis. With the objective to combat and controlled diseases like Tuberculosis, Malaria, Dengue and Elimination of Leprosy Rs. 20.88 crore has been approved, whereas to tackle non communicable diseases especially Hypertention, Diabetes and other cardio vascular diseases and blindness a budget of Rs. 16.84 crore has been approved.While reiterating the commitment of the Punjab Government to provide better health services to the people of the state, the Health Minister lauded the efforts of the officers of the Health and Family Welfare Department for formalizing the ambitious proposal and getting it approved from the Government of India. He said that in contrast to the previous year, this time the overall resource envelop of NHM has increased by merely 35% as the outlay of previous year was 595 crore against this year’s allocation of 806.28 crore. He elaborated that out of this budget 60% share is provided by Government of India and the 40% state share is borne by Punjab Government.