Guv hails docs as dharti ke bhagwan, bats for med college in every district

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Saturday emphasised on the need for more doctors and medical students in the country, noting that the Centre had been making continuous efforts in this direction.

He was addressing The Tribune Health Care Awards 2025, held at The Cabbana Resort here, where 21 doctors and hospital owners from across Punjab were felicitated. The Governor joined the event virtually. The awards were presented by The Tribune Trustee Gurbachan Jagat and Editor-in-Chief Jyoti Malhotra. The Tribune Group General Manager Amit Sharma, Punjabi Tribune Editor Arvinder Pal Kaur and Dainik Tribune Editor Naresh Kaushal were also present at the event.

Citing statistics, the Governor said, “There were 378 medical colleges in 2013-14. The number has increased to 706 now. As a result, we have 10,000 more MBBS students passing out each year. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants there to be a medical college in every district. Compared to 2013-14, there are 80 per cent more postgraduate seats now.”

Kataria also highlighted the significant increase in the Centre’s annual health allocation since the Modi government came to power. “There was a budgetary allocation of around Rs 33,000 crore in 2013-14, which has now gone up threefold to Rs 99,000 crore — almost Rs 1 lakh crore,” he said.

Reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic, the Governor recalled the critical role played by doctors when families were hesitant to care for infected persons. Calling them “dharti ke bhagwan”, he said, “We and our families are here in this world today because you have been caring for us. You continue to cure diseases with the same magical touch.”

He also praised The Tribune Group for organising an award function to honour medical professionals. Commending the publication’s longstanding commitment to truth and public service, he said, “The Tribune has always had dedicated journalists. Its editorials have always been special. Since its founding by Dyal Singh Majithia in 1881, the paper has strived to bring the truth to the fore.”

The Tribune Trustee and former Governor of Manipur, Gurbachan Jagat, echoed the Governor’s sentiments. “We are trying to follow the legacy of our founder, who foresaw the need for an independent newspaper in free India. The Tribune is the Voice of the People. Many obstacles have come in our way, but we have been able to tide through all,” he said.

He said, “We are trying to reach every corner of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the metros, but we have our limitations. We have been working to make our paper more vibrant through digital services.

We are trying to improve each day and make it more functional. Through digital means, we are also trying to expand our coverage and reach our Diaspora.”

The key sponsor for the event was Dr Avtar Singh from Amandeep Hospital, in association with Ujala Cygnus. The awardees at the event included Dr Raj Kamal and Yogesh Joshi from Fortis Escorts Hospital, Amritsar, in the category of ‘Advanced treatment in brain tumour’; Dr HP Singh, Dr Arun Chopra and Dr Deepak Kapila from Fortis Escorts Hospital, Amritsar, in the category of ‘Pioneering excellence in cardiology’ ; Dr Gurpreet Gill, Director, Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bathinda, in the category of ‘Excellence and leadership in healthcare’; Dr Mohit Gupta from Gupta Hospital in Bathinda in the category of ‘Excellence in joint replacement surgery and ortho robotic surgery’; Dr Ranjit Singh, Director, Dr Ranjit Orthocare Centre, Amritsar, in the category of ‘Excellence in knee replacement and joint replacement’; Dr Palika Sharma from Dr Palika Dental Care Centre, Amritsar, as the Leading dentist and dental implantologist; Dr Praveen Devgan, Director and Chief Surgeon from Altec Laser Hospital, Amritsar, in the category of ‘Globally trusted oral implantologist and cosmetic dentist’; Dr Vijay Nanda, Director-cum-Chief Consultant, Gastroenterology, Dr Amit Singhal and Dr Alok Sehgal from Premier Gastroenterology Institute, Jalandhar, in the category of ‘Centre of excellence in gastroenterology and advance endoscopy; Dr Ashmeet Singh from ANR Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Jalandhar, in the category of ‘Psychiatry excellence’; Dr Pankaj Trivedi from Spine Masters Pvt Ltd, Jalandhar, in ‘Endoscopic spine surgery’; Dr S Rajan, Chairman, Rajan Eye Hospital, Phagwara, in ‘Robotic cataract and silk laser surgery’; Dr Gurinder Singh Bhola from Super Scanning and Diagnostic Pvt Ltd, Jalandhar, in the category of ‘Best radiology centre in the region and masters in MRI’; Dr Munish Aggarwal from Aggarwal Liver and Gut Super speciality Hospital and New Aggarwal Multispecialty Hospital, Jalandhar, in the category of ‘Gastroenterology’; Dr Raman Chawla from Carebest Super Speciality Hospital, Jalandhar, in the category of ‘Cardiology icon’; SPS Grover, New Ruby Hospital Pvt Ltd, Jalandhar, in the category of ‘Region’s acknowledged multispecialty hospitals’; Dr Balbir S Bhaura from Akal Eye Hospital in the category of ‘Eye care excellence award’; Dr Sanjay Kapoor, ex-Civil Surgeon and Dr Shamsher S Samra from Dukhniwaran Hospital, Amritsar, in the category of ‘Centre of excellence in endoscopic and microscopic ENT surgery’; Dr Lakhvinder Singh from Genesis Fertility and Surgical Centre, Jalandhar, for ‘Excellence in gynae laparoscopic surgery’; and Dr Shubhang Aggarwal and Santanu Panda from NHS Hospital in Jalandhar in the category ‘Pioneers and globally trusted robotic knee and hip replacement surgery’.