Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday offered six promises in Punjab – what he referred to as a “health guarantee” – if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in the state after the next assembly elections. Among his offers were free health benefits at public hospitals across the state, treatment at which he promised would be on par with private healthcare. He also said that similar to Delhi, all medicines, tests, treatments, and operations would be free of cost if his party came to power in the state. Kejriwal, however, did not name a chief ministerial candidate for Punjab but promised that an announcement will be made in this regard in due time. He also didn’t confirm if former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh would be joining the AAP, calling the theory “hypothetical”.
Addressing a press conference in Punjab’s Ludhiana, Kejriwal said that except for the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, all other government-run health centres and institutions in the state are in a “pitiable condition” forcing the common people to look for options at private hospitals. “These private hospitals, in turn, loot the public; meanwhile the government has a serious shortage of staff and infrastructure in its healthcare facilities,” he said.
AAP president Arvind Kejriwal announced six guarantees related to healthcare for Punjab residents based on the Delhi model, if the party wins power in the next assembly elections:
1. Every Punjab resident to get free and quality treatment.
2. All medicines, diagnostic tests, and surgical procedures to be free of cost in government hospitals across the state. “We will ensure all medicines are available and we will ensure the machines are functional. Even expensive surgeries costing ₹15 lakh will be free,” the AAP chief said.
3. Every Punjab citizen will get a health card. That card will have all the information and reports pertaining to the person.
4. On lines of Delhi’s Mohalla Clinic, the AAP chief promised to open ‘Pind Clinics’ at every nook and corner of the rural areas and ward clinics in cities. As many as 16,000 such clinics will be set up across the state, Kejriwal said.
5. The infrastructure of all government hospitals in the state will be improved and they will be made fully air-conditioned with all facilities readily available.
6. Anyone meeting with an accident will be rushed to the nearest hospital and the cost for their treatment will be borne by the Punjab government, irrespective of whether it is a private or state-run hospital.