Punjab to empanel 300 private specialist doctors to tide over shortage

The Punjab cabinet on Friday decided to empanel 300 private specialist doctors in order to tide over the severe shortage in public health care institutes.

The private doctors will get Rs 100 per patient for examining them in both OPD and IPD.

A limit, however, has been fixed on how many patients a doctor can examine – from 50-150 in OPD and from 2-20 for IPD.

To retain doctors in government hospitals, all doctors on night duty, if called at day time, will get Rs 1,000 for a visit and vice-versa, said Finance Minister Harpal Cheema.

He said the CM has asked officers to come up with a new incentive-based policy for doctors and teachers serving in border areas.

“This has been done as employees prefer not to be posted there. We want to ensure last mile delivery of health and education services,” he said.

The other decisions taken are: changes in Societies Registration Act, 1860, to give power to government to appoint in-charges of cooperative societies; introducing GPS system for real-time tracking of vehicles carrying minor minerals from quarries; and redistribution of powers of delegate authority and appellate authority in the cooperative department.