The Punjab government today gave nod to execute the Urban Health Mission(UHM) in the State to give total health cover to urban poor and the other unprotected sections of the society. It would cover slum dwellers; other marginalized urban dwellers like rickshaw pullers, street vendors, railway and bus station coolies, homeless people and street children, construction site workers etc. For statewide implementation UHM besides creating new infrastructure the existing infrastructure in the health centres across the state would also be upgraded to international level.
Disclosing this here today, Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani said that aiming at giving quality health services to the urban and rural habitats of Punjab the Health department Punjab has embarked upon a plan to set up Urban Health Mission on the patterns of Rural Health Mission in Punjab. Under the Urban Health Mission as many as 40 towns have been identified where 155 Primary Health Centres with OPD facilities would be established and 3 Major cities Ludhiana Amritsar and Jallandhar would have six, four and three Community Health Centres respectively. These Centres would be well equipped with latest machinery and diagnostic units with OPD and In-door facilities for the patients. Besides this 769 paramedical staff would also be appointed to ensure uninterrupted health care facilities in these newly set up health care centres. The Urban Primary Health Centres would remain opened from 12 noon to 8pm in summers and from 11.00am to 7 pm in winters.
Adding further the minister said that the initial mapping work has been done in all the identified 40 towns to be covered under Urban Health Mission. In the very first year total 93 urban primary health centres would be set up. As many as 126 doctors, 33 full time and 93 part-time, 186 staff nurses, 33 pharmacists, 93 lab. technicians and 340 ANMs would be appointed. He said that the modalities have been worked out and the posting orders of the entire staff would be given within a month.Referring to the assured health care facilities being extended by the government to the slum dwellers, the Minister said that 2394 Asha Workers would be appointed to educate the slum dwellers about health and hygiene. Total 8974 Mahila Arogya Samitis would also be created in the identified slum areas. A monthly Outreach Health Camp would also be organized in the slums where the slum dwellers would undergo medical tests in the presence of the specialists’ doctors.