OPD, IPD services start at CHC Lehragaga

Sangrur: Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh, along with his cabinet colleagues Harpal Singh Cheema and Barinder Kumar Goyal, on Wednesday inaugurated the OPD and IPD services at the community health centre (CHC) in Lehragaga to provide immediate healthcare access to the people.The senior ministers hailed the move as the first step towards the Punjab govt's decision to establish a medical college and hospital at Lehragaga.The CHC at Lehragaga, which was in a dilapidated condition, was renovated and upgraded, and the OPD and IPD services were made operational with the availability of specialist doctors. The facility will benefit Lehragaga and nearby villages and towns within a radius of 50 kilometres, they said.Addressing a press conference at CHC Lehragaga, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said these medical services would be managed by a unit of the Janhit Trust – Acharya Vidyanand Jain Institute of Medical Sciences and Research.He said the initiative would establish Lehragaga's identity not only in Sangrur but across the world.Health minister Dr Balbir Singh said the institution was not being handed over to private hands in any form, and that the govt remained committed to providing better healthcare services.He said the services were entrusted to the Janhit Trust unit, whose objective was to serve humanity and not to earn profit.The health minister also highlighted that the closed Baba Hira Singh Bhattal Institute of Engineering and Technology was being revived as a medical college and hospital due to the efforts of the Punjab govt.Dr Balbir Singh said the medical college would cater to both Moonak and Khanauri regions, and hospitals in these areas would also function under its framework.He said the region earlier faced a severe shortage of specialist doctors and healthcare facilities, but under the leadership of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, special focus was being given to the area.Dr Balbir Singh said the medical college and hospital would improve healthcare services, accelerate economic development and generate large-scale employment opportunities in the area. He also felicitated the specialist doctors who would be serving at the community health centre.Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal thanked finance minister Harpal Cheema and health minister Dr Balbir Singh for their support in taking the medical college project to the current stage.He said nursing classes would begin at the medical college next year, along with the MD and MS courses. Goyal said, earlier, many capable students from the region could not pursue careers in medicine due to a lack of facilities, but now they would be able to fulfil their dreams."Earlier, due to the absence of emergency services, people often travelled to Sangrur or Patiala, and delays sometimes led to loss of lives, but improved local medical facilities will prevent such situations," said Goyal."Admissions and seat allocation in the upcoming medical college, to be established by the Jain community, will follow guidelines and notifications issued by the state govt, and the fee structure for all categories will be regulated as per govt norms," the minister emphasised."The medical college will have an intake capacity of 100 MBBS seats and a minimum of 440 beds. It will provide quality medical education to residents and develop Punjab as a hub for medical education," he added.MSID:: 130281116 413 |