In a significant move to strengthen public services, the Punjab cabinet on Friday approved a series of decisions aimed at addressing critical gaps in healthcare, education, and resource management. The key approvals include the empanelment of 300 private specialist doctors, a new incentive policy for border areas, and the mandatory installation of GPS trackers on mining vehicles to curb illegal activities.
Boosting Healthcare with 300 Specialist Doctors
The cabinet greenlit a proposal to empanel 300 specialist doctors across 12 crucial medical fields to tackle the severe staff shortages in government health facilities. The specialties include medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, dermatology, chest and TB, surgery, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ENT, and anaesthesiology.
An official spokesperson stated that this initiative will augment specialist availability and improve the quality of secondary healthcare for citizens. The empanelment process will be managed at the district level by civil surgeons. These empanelled specialists will receive a fee per patient for services rendered, which cover:
- Outpatient Department (OPD) services
- Inpatient Department (IPD) care
- Emergency calls
- Major and minor surgeries
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, addressing the media after the cabinet meeting, explained, "Private specialist doctors will be empanelled to get rid of the shortage in the state. They will be given due incentives for their services. Those working in private hospitals will also be brought on call."
The government has set a minimum fee of Rs 100 for OPD consultations, with a cap of 50 to 150 patients. For indoor treatment, the fee is also a minimum of Rs 100, with specialists attending to a maximum of 2 to 20 patients. Furthermore, a government doctor on night duty called for an additional daytime shift will receive Rs 1,000, with the payment doubling to Rs 2,000 if called for an extra night shift.
New Policies for Border Districts and Mining Sector
Recognizing the reluctance of professionals to serve in remote areas, the cabinet has directed officials to formulate a new incentive-based policy for doctors and teachers in the seven border districts of Punjab.
Minister Cheema highlighted that this issue was particularly evident during the recent Tarn Taran assembly by-election. The new policy aims to motivate professionals to work in these regions, thereby ensuring proper health and education services at the last mile and addressing a common grievance of border area residents.
In a decisive step to combat illegal mining, the cabinet mandated that GPS tracking devices must be installed on all vehicles involved in mining activities. This measure, approved under the amended Punjab Minor Minerals Rules, will allow the state to monitor vehicle movement in real-time, bringing greater transparency and accountability to the sector.
Cheema affirmed, "The movement of trucks will be under the scanner using GPS and it would result in more transparency. A separate system would also be established to ensure transparency in the mining sector."
Streamlining Governance and Ensuring Accountability
The cabinet also took several administrative decisions to improve efficiency and curb malpractices. The tender-free purchase limit for government departments was revised upwards from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. This change, part of the revised Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Rules, is expected to significantly speed up procurement processes, such as the purchase of essential medical equipment like ultrasound machines for hospitals.
Furthermore, amendments to the Societies Registration Act, 1860 were approved to grant the government the power to appoint in-charges of cooperative societies. All societies and trusts registered in Punjab will now be subject to mandatory annual audits, with a designated manager overseeing financial inspections to ensure transparency.
Minister Cheema noted that the 1860 Act was often misused for fraudulent leasing and selling of societies. "It is the first major amendment in the Act. It will ensure that people are not fleeced by cooperative societies," he stated.
Finally, the cabinet introduced a Uniform Disciplinary and Appellate Framework (Rule 28A) under the Punjab Cooperative Societies Rules, 1963. This will eliminate duplicate appellate channels, clarify the chain of command in disciplinary proceedings, and protect employee rights through a clear, consistent process across all cooperative institutions in the state.
