IDPD demands to strengthen foundation of healthcare system
IDPD demands to strengthen foundation of healthcare system
Ferozepur, April 12, 2026: The Indian Doctors for Peace and Development has demanded that the Punjab government abandon contract-based, unprofessional, and makeshift policies such as Mohalla Clinics, and instead focus on strengthening the basic structure of Punjab’s healthcare system.
The organization’s leaders—Dr. Arun Mitra, Dr. Jasbir Singh Aulakh, and Dr. Indervir Singh Gill—issued a statement raising questions about the newly proposed Aam Aadmi Village Clinic scheme.
The biggest concern is that there is no serious effort to improve the primary healthcare system, particularly its preventive and promotive aspects, which have already been severely affected by the OPD-based model of Aam Aadmi Clinics. Even in village clinics, none of the fundamental issues of primary healthcare are likely to be addressed. Teleconsultation schemes have already failed at the district hospital and Community Health Officer (CHO) levels, and the government has not even made an effort to review them.
According to the leaders, the government is preparing to replace regular posts with contract-based recruitment. For example, instead of filling regular positions for doctors, pharmacists, lab technicians, and Class IV employees in primary health centers, contract-based staff are being appointed, who can be dismissed without reason with just a week’s notice. Female employees are also being deprived of basic rights such as maternity leave.
The sanitation budget for village clinics is only ₹5,000, which also includes the salaries of sanitation workers. This arrangement is a violation of labour laws. The leaders of Indian Doctors for Peace and Development have demanded that the Punjab government hold consultations with health experts and organizations working in the health sector, conduct a comprehensive review of the healthcare system, fill regular posts, and abandon these ad hoc policies.
