16L kids to be given polio drops under 3-day drive

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh has said the state government has implemented numerous pro-people initiatives in the last three-and-a-half years to bring about a health revolution.

Launching the Pulse Polio Round during a state-level event at the Community Health Centre at Chanarthal Kalan village today, he said under the three-day campaign, which will run in 13 districts of the state, polio drops will be administered to approximately 16 lakh children in the 0 to 5 year age group.

The Health Minister said though not a single case of polio had been reported in Punjab in the last 15 years, the state government has launched the campaign to ensure safety of children due to the prevalence of the disease in neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The minister said 1,000 new doctors had been recruited to overcome the shortage of doctors in the Health Department. Similarly, 500 nurses will be joining in November and another batch of 500 in December. Dr Balbir Singh said Aam Aadmi Clinics had provided a great relief to the people by offering 107 types of free medicines and 47 types of tests free of cost. He said the government was formulating a plan for providing ultrasound facilities to people in villages, under which they will be provided free scanning facility through vans.