AAP distressed over deteriorating health conditions in Punjab; holds govt responsible

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday has expressed distress over the deteriorating public health facilities in Punjab and held the state government responsible for the same. Senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema through a press statement stated the absenteeism of doctors from duty.

"The written allegations of government doctors absenting themselves from duty by paying hefty amount, levelled by a social activist and former Punjab government official, Dr Pyare Lal Garg, were of serious nature, which has earned disgrace for the government in the saddle," said senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema through a press statement. 

Furthermore, the AAP leader cited the example of the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi and stressed up the need for amplifying annual budget allocation for health and medical education for the financial year 2020-21.

"Only 3.48 per cent of the total budget for health and medical education in the state was earmarked during the financial year 2019-2020, which did not even make for 1 per cent of the state's GDP, as a result of which the health services were badly hit, leading to staff crunch and shortage of medicines at government hospitals and dispensaries," the statement added.

READ: Delhi's healthcare schemes better than Centre's Ayushman Bharat: Kejriwal

READ: Madhya Pradesh govt starts health insurance scheme for staff

'Delhi Health scheme better than Centre's scheme'

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that the healthcare schemes of the Delhi government were better than the Centre's Ayushman Bharat, underlining that such programs of his dispensation was completely free for all irrespective of the rich or poor.

In his address in the sixth town hall meeting at the Delhi Technological University Campus at Shahbad Daulatpur in North West Delhi, Kejriwal slammed the criteria of the Ayushman Bharat. "If these criteria applied, there will be no one eligible for the scheme. Therefore we decided to not implement it," the Chief Minister said at the event. 

"Even expenses on treatment, surgeries and medicines in private hospitals are borne by the Delhi government. If the Delhi government wants, Ayushman Bharat can be implemented today itself. But it doesn't simply work in Delhi," he said. "Delhi's healthcare schemes are better than Centre's Ayushman Bharat."

READ: MP govt starts health insurance scheme for staff

READ: Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma urges BJP to not politicise Kota infant deaths

(With Inputs from ANI)