‘Trying to shift 1,100 docs from rural to health dept’
AS MLA SAYS THAT ONLY 142 OF 1,100 DOCTORS ARE WILLING TO JOIN HEALTH DEPARTMENT, MINISTER SAYS THEY SHOULD COME TO THE DIALOGUE TABLE
CHANDIGARH: Punjab health minister Brahm Mohindra on Wednesday said the state government is making efforts to bring the 1,100 doctors recruited by the rural development and panchayats department into the health department so that their services could be better utilised and they also get greater career advancement opportunities.
Mohindra, who was speaking during the question-answer session on the last day of the budget session of the assembly, said these doctors should come on the talking table to find a way out. The minister said this in response to Patti MLA Harminder Singh Gill who raised the issue of shortage of doctors in government hospitals and dispensaries in his segment. He said 142 of the 1,100 doctors have shown willingness to join the health department.
Leader of opposition in the assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira said in many cases heart patients die on their way to big hospitals in nearby cities. “Make arrangement of first aid and early treatment in rural areas so that heart patients can be saved in case of emergency,” he said. In the scheduled time (hour) reserved for the session, replies to five questions could not be discussed. The House took up 14 questions and reply to one was postponed.
SHORT OF TEACHERS
On a question raised by Banga MLA Sukhwinder Kumar, education minister Aruna Chaudhary said 40% seats (1,477) of a total of 3,706 sanctioned posted in Nawanshahr district are vacant.
The MLA said junior teachers are giving training to senior teachers, suggesting that a proposal be made so that retired teachers should impart training to teachers.
Chaudhary informed the House that a large number of schools were upgraded during the 10-year tenure of the SAD-BJP government even without any need and she streamlined the same after taking charge as minister.
ZAIL SINGH CELL TO BE PROTECTED MONUMENT
Local bodies and cultural affairs minister Navjot Singh Sidhu informed the House that the state government will protect the Faridkot jail cell, in which former President of India Giani Zail Singh was kept as a freedom fighter, as a memorial. He said this after Ferozepur MLA Parminder Singh Pinki raised the issue.
PATHANKOT MLA SEEKS APHERESIS MACHINE
When Pathankot MLA Amit Vij demanded apheresis machine in his constituency for the treatment of dengue patients, health minister Mohindra said each machine costs ₹25 lakh and there are 13 such machines in the state.
REPLY ON DA TO EMPLOYEES POSTPONED
The Vidhan Sabha speaker postponed a common question asked by five MLAs – Jagdev Singh, Nathu Ram, Baldev Singh, Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Balbir Singh Sidhu — about the pending installments of dearness allowance (DA) to employees and pensioners of the Punjab government.
‘WILL TAKE UP MOHALI LAND ISSUE WITH CM’
When Mohali MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu raised the issue of handing over of 47 kanals of land at Papri village (on airport road) to a private developer, Janta Land Promoters Limited in 2016 at throwaway prices, rural development and panchayts minister Tript Rajidner Singh Bajwa said he would discuss the case with the CM. Sidhu demanded that compensation be given to the villagers as per landpooling act. “It’s a ₹100 crore land which was taken away by the developer at by giving just ₹18 crore,” said Sidhu.
CALL ATTENTION ON LAND SEPARATION
On a call attention brought in the House by AAP’s Amarjit Singh Sandoa over the need of barbed wires for fencing agricultural land close to forests in Rupnagar, Anandpur Sahib, Garhshankar, and Balachaur constituencies in the kandi (sub-mountainous) belt, CM Capt Amarinder Singh said ₹8 crore was announced in the budget. A similar grant was given in the previous budget, the CM said, adding that armed licences were issued to local farmers to save the crops from wild boar and nilgai (blue bull).