Garha residents against move to turn PHC into Aam Aadmi Clinic

Jalandhar, January 2

Residents of Garha locality on Monday held a protest over the alleged move of the state government to convert a Primary Health Centre (PHC) into Aam Aadmi Clinic.

The residents said the government was keen on taking away their recently renovated PHC building for their new scheme of Aam Aadmi Clinic, which they were opposing. “The move will demote our PHC with 10 rooms, two doctors and a staff of 15 including nurses and ASHA workers into Aam Aadmi Clinic for which only a doctor, helper and compounder were required. The move will lead to shifting of the available staff to other centres and reduction of the available facilities,” said a resident Kirpal Singh.

Congress councillor Prabhdyal Bhagat led the protest even as BJP leaders including ex-CPS KD Bhandari and Amarjit Amri also joined him. “We are not raking up this issue because of any political vendetta but for the general welfare of the residents of my ward no. 22. We are ready to forget the name of Aam Aadmi Clinic put up on the centre with the picture of CM Bhagwant Mann on it, but on the condition that it is promoted as a Community Health Centre (CHC) with better facilities such as those for deliveries by surgery, roping in specialist doctors and laboratory for various bio-medical test facilities,” said Bhagat. He said the PHC remained one of the best equipped centres during the Covid days. He said the district health authorities had been asked to look for an alternative location to set up Aam Aadmi Clinic such as an already closed Ayurvedic Centre in the adjoining Kanianwali localiy.