In a monumental bid to reform the system of healthcare, the government of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has initiated a far-reaching program, one that transforms Punjab into a health leader in the Indian health sector. This blueprint of reform was presented by the Health Minister of Punjab, Balbir Singh, who pointed out that the state government is dedicated to providing modern, efficient, and responsive health services.
Whether it is improving management or arming the frontline doctors with modern skills, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government is not aiming for less than perfection. With such a move, Punjab makes a bold decision to transform its infrastructure and fill underlying gaps in the sphere of public health.
Advanced Training for Doctors and Health Officers
The provision of master-level training to the doctors of all the districts is probably one of the most remarkable traits of the new strategy. Each and every district will be taken through an extra training of two doctors who will be trained to oversee the institutional health activities with sophisticated administrative skills.
Furthermore, 28 Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) have already been deployed to IIM Ahmedabad to undergo high-level management training, and such a move is also visionary and rare in regard to Indian public healthcare transformation. It is believed that this inter-sector learning will improve service delivery by the healthcare system down to the grassroots level and create accountability among the execution of medical professionals.
Targeting Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
The second essential aspect of the reform is the emphasis of the society of Punjab on mental and addiction treatment as one of the oldest issues of the state. To empower this pillar, we have specially trained psychiatrists at AIIMS Delhi and the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre so that the state creates in-house expertise to cope with the increasing problems of addiction and psychological disorders.
This is more than an infrastructure initiative; it is a self-sustaining healthcare ecosystem initiative, and it must fit global best practices relative to the needs of public health itself.
