As CM Bhagwant Mann Government has taken Healthcare sector a top priority, Health Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra on Wednesday launched ambitious ‘Care Companion Program (CCP)’ here to further give a fillip to health awareness endeavours of the State Government.
While unveiling this welfare initiatives, Chetan Singh Jauramajra reiterated that better healthcare services would be ensured across the State. He further pointed out that this program was a state Government’s initiative aiming at to engage family members. Training of basic medical skills will be imparted to these members that have the highest impact for improving a patient’s recovery, he added.Divulging more details in his inaugural address Jauramajra stated that Punjab was the first state in India to extend this program beyond Mother and Child Health to the domain of medical and surgical in-patient Care. This program helps in educating and empowering people to be agents of their own health and wellbeing by teaching them basic health practices, which are essential for everyone, he added.
The Health Minister also launched a IVR/Whatsapp number 080-47180443, through which anyone can subscribe to health messages which they will receive thrice a week for three months. This service is completely free of cost and anyone can again subscribe on completion of the duration.
These messages will promote a health seeking behaviour in the receiver and will motivate him/her to shed bad health habits. The Minister also released an awareness video and he lauded the efforts of the concerned Program Officer Dr. Baljit Kaur and Shahid Alam of NGO Noora Health and YosAid Innovation Foundation for coming out with this wonderful initiative which will go a long way in improving the level of health awareness in the masses.
NHM’s Mission Director Dr. Abhinav Trikha underlined that this is a very well thought out program aiming to strengthen promotive and preventive health. CCP is also being used as a platform for creating awareness on local health issues like COVID, Malaria, dengue, Iodine deficiency and visually appealing health awareness material will also be provided at the health facility level.
Director Health and Family Welfare Dr. Ranjit Singh Ghotra assured the Health Minister to successfully implement this new initiative and Nurses and health care staff would make sure that no patient and their relatives leave the hospital without learning, through CCP sessions. On this occasion Director NHM Dr. S.P. Singh, Deputy Directors and other health officials were also present.