The Punjab Health Department has reduced the required service length for the government doctors to pursue Post Graduate course. It will immensely help the doctors to study further after MBBS and do Post Graduate. It was said by Balbir Singh Sidhu, Health & Family Welfare and Labour Minister, Punjab, while talking to the media persons after presiding over the meeting of District Grievance Redressal Committee at District Administrative Complex here today.Mr. Sidhu said that the eligibility level for the government doctors to pursue PG courses has been cut to 50 percent. He said that earlier doctors have to render 4 to 6 years of government service before becoming eligible for doing PG and now this limit has been reduced to 2 to 3 years respectively.Health Minister said that in order to fulfil the acute shortage of specialist doctors, the Punjab Government has decided to rehire the retired doctors between the age of 58 to 65 years. He said that these specialist doctors to deputed in the field to serve the people and they will not be deputed on administrative posts. He said that by doing so, Health Department would soon get services of 400 specialists in near future.
Mr. Sidhu said that primary focus of the department is to ensure that patients must get 250 basic medicines in the hospitals and they don’t have to buy these medicines from the private drug stores. Reiterating the Punjab Government’s resolve to provide the health services to the citizen at their doorsteps, the Health Minister said that 2950 Health Wellness Centres are being opened in the state, out of which 843 centres have started working.Speaking about the availability of doctors in Fazilka district, he said that 7 new doctors have been deputed in the district. He said that department will soon initiate process to fill the vacant posts of drug inspectors.Mr. Davinder Singh Ghubaya, MLA Fazilka, Deputy Commissioner Mr. Manpreet Singh Chhatwal, SSP Mr. Deepak Hilori, Congress District President Ranjam Kamra, Congress leader Mr. Deepak Kumar, Political Secretary to Health Minister Mr. Harkesh Chand Sharma Machhli Kalan and Mr. B.D. Kalra were present on this occasion.