Ludhiana, September 30, The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced better public healthcare services with free and best treatment facilities under the ‘6-point benefits’ of his second guarantee, to be provided to the people of Punjab on formation of the AAP government. Kejriwal, who was on a two-day Punjab visit, made these announcements during a press conference held here. On the occasion, he was accompanied by AAP Punjab president and Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh, co-in-charge Raghav Chadha, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh. Earlier, under his first guarantee, Arvind Kejriwal had announced 300 free units of electricity and 24-hours power supply for the people of Punjab.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Arvind Kejriwal said today the condition of health infrastructure in Punjab was in a bad condition. “Either you go to a government hospital, primary health centre or a community health centre in Punjab; you will not get any treatment. No doctor is there, there are no medicines and even machines are not working. In compulsion, one has to go to a private hospital; which exorbitantly loots the people. In Delhi too, when we took over seven years ago, the condition was severely bad; but we changed the condition and will do it in Punjab also,” he said.
Under the ‘6-point’ second guarantee, Kejrwial first announced free and best treatment facilities at government hospitals in Punjab; better than the private hospitals. Second, he guaranteed medicines, tests, treatment and surgeries; free of cost. “We have done this in Delhi and will do it in Punjab too. In Delhi, one gets costlier medicines or injections, free of cost at government hospitals. But in Punjab, even medicines are not available in the hospitals,” he said, assuring that on the formation of the AAP government, all facilities will be provided to the people and they do not have to worry about better treatment.
Third, Kejriwal announced that the people of Punjab will be issued a digital health card, which will comprise of all the details of the person concerned and his medical record. He said all the systems related to it will be computerized.
Under the fourth benefit of his second guarantee, the AAP National Convener announced ‘pind clinics’ to be opened in Punjab on the lines of Delhi’s mohalla clinics. “Our mohalla clinics in Delhi have been famous all around the world. On the same lines, we will open 16,000 ‘Pind Clinics’ in all villages, wards and cities of Punjab.
Under the fifth benefit, Arvind Kejriwal vowed to revamp the infrastructure of the existing government hospitals with setting up of new government hospitals at grand scale. Lastly, Kejriwal announced a scheme for road accident cases similar to that in Delhi; in which victims will be provided free treatment. “In this ongoing political instability in Punjab, a ray of hope appears in the form of AAP; which thinks about the people of the state, about issues related to electricity, health and other issues,” he added. He also announced that on the demand of mediapersons, the AAP will set up press clubs for the welfare of journalists in all districts of the state.
Meanwhile, slamming the Congress over the recent happenings in the state, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Punjab had formed the Congress government with great hopes. But today, they’ve made a mockery of it. A dirty fight for power is going on. All their leaders want to become CM. There’s so much infighting that the government has disappeared. On the other hand, there is the AAP, which is planning for development and progress of Punjab.”
Responding to a query related to the funds for the free healthcare facilities in Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal gave an example of how the Delhi government saved money in the Wazirpur flyover which was estimated to be built at a cost of Rs 350 crore; but required Rs 150 crore only. “We turned a deficit budget into one of profit within four years in Delhi. Money is wasted when there is corruption and loot. All we did was wipe out corruption and everything else followed,” he said.
On the party’s CM face in Punjab, Kejriwal said he would declare the CM candidate in the due course. “The candidate will be a person all Punjab will be proud of,” he said. On the question of Navjot Sidhu joining the AAP, Arvind Kejriwal said, “It is a hypothetical question. Whenever anything like this happens, we will tell you first.”
On another question regarding newly appointed Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi pretending to be an ‘Aam Aadmi’, Arvind Kejriwal took a jibe stating, “It is easy to copy Kejriwal, but hard to implement. When our first government of 49 days was formed, I had sent 32 tainted officers to jail. Channi sahab should also get the courage and confidence and should send the tainted ministers in his cabinet and corrupt officers behind bars.”
On stubble burning issue, he said the AAP government in Delhi has made a bio-decomposer through which the stubble will be changed into fertilizer in 15 days. “The farmers in Punjab are forced to burn stubble because the state governments till date have not come up with any solutions to it. The Delhi government is getting the decomposer sprayed on farmers' stubble and the same will be done in Punjab,” he added.
