Punjab Budget Session: ‘Feel like we are living in Pakistan’, AAP MLA puts own govt in dock over lack of health infra

Dhose’s outburst came during the Question Hour of the budget session in the state Assembly after Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh replied to his question that there was no proposal to upgrade the Dharamkot PHC (primary health centre) to a sub-divisional hospital under the consideration of the government.

The PHC, the minister said, is under the community health centre Kot Ise Khan, located eight km away. “There is also no no proposal to open a trauma centre in Dharamkot. There are already five trauma centres functioning in the state of Punjab …in Jalandhar, Pathankot, Khanna, Ferozepur and Fazilka,” the minister said.

After receiving the minister’s replies, Dhose said the Dharamkot constituency is a backward area.

“We are also the residents of Punjab, and our district is Moga. Not even one health-related project has been given to the Dharamkot constituency by our government. In Kot Ise Khan CHC, only two out of eight posts of MBBS doctors have been filled yet. Step-motherly treatment has been meted out to Moga. Earlier, 300 specialist doctors were recruited, and of them, only four doctors were given to Moga. Now, out of 255 MBBS doctors, only four have been given to Moga. Malerkotla is a small district and 28 MBBS doctors have been posted there as compared to four doctors given to Moga,” he said.

“I want to ask why this discrimination is against Moga; whether Moga is part of Punjab. I feel like perhaps we are living in Pakistan,” the MLA said.

The health minister, meanwhile, informed the House that the Dharamkot constituency has a population of 24,000. “A CHC is set up in an area where the population is over 1.25 lakh and a sub divisional hospital is set up if the population is over 10 lakh,” he said.

The Minister added that as the population of Moga district is less than 10 lakh, there is no proposal to upgrade the Dharamkot hospital. He also pointed out that Moga has a district hospital.

Earlier, AAP MLA from Shutrana, Kulwant Singh Bazigar, also raised concerns over medical care in state saying that he had been submitting questions regarding hospitals in his constituency for last two sessions but they were not taken up in the House.

“Rajindra Hospital (Patiala) is 70-75 kms from our city. We have three hospitals in our constituency (Shutrana) and none of them have doctors. Whenever I raise the issue with the Health Minister, he says he deputes doctors to these hospitals but no one joins. There are 12 posts of MBBS doctors vacant there and 12 posts of medical specialists are also lying vacant. My only request is that these vacancies should be filled so people can be treated there,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohali MLA, Kulwant Singh, asked the health minister when staff will be deployed and other facilities made available at a new dispensary in Sector 69 in Mohali. The minister informed the House that the staff had been deployed temporarily at the buildings constructed to start dispensaries in Sector 69 and the adjacent Saneta village.

The Mohali MLA, however, said that his people were stationed at Sector 69 dispensary till 9 am. “No staff member came. Tell me when these dispensaries will be made functional. Till today, they are not operational. The staff strength is not complete. And with temporary staff, better health facilities cannot be provided,” he said.

The minister, in his response, said, “It is possible that the staff may have reached at 9.05 or 9.10 am.” He also provided names of the health staff, comprising a doctor, a pharmacist, a lab technician and a staff nurse deployed at the dispensary, to counter the MLA’s claims.

Speaking during the Zero Hour, Congress MLA from Shahkot, Hardev Singh Laddi, said while the government patted itself on the back in the Governor’s address on improved health facilities in the state, the ground level situation was different. “Health facilities can only be offered if hospitals have doctors working there. In my constituency, Shahkot government hospital, Mehlan civil hospital and Mehlan PIC have no doctors on emergency. There is only an SMO or one another doctor is present there till 2 or 3 pm and thereafter there is no doctor available. I request that the vacancies in these hospitals be filled so that the poor can get treatment there,” he said.