CHANDIGARH, March 8:
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Sunday described the Budget for Financial Year 2026-27 as a landmark document that prioritises the health and well-being of every Punjabi.
While hailing the budget presented by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Dr Balbir Singh stated that the health sector budget has been increased by 23% compared to the previous year, reaching ₹6,879 crore. He emphasised that this allocation will ensure accessible, affordable, and quality medical services across the state.
The Health Minister highlighted that the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is a historic reform providing universal health insurance of up to ₹10 lakh per family annually. An allocation of ₹2,000 crores is proposed in FY 2026-27 will benefit 65 lakh families in the state.
To further strengthen primary healthcare, ₹351 crore has been earmarked for Aam Aadmi Clinics. Currently, 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics are providing 107 essential medicines and 47 diagnostic tests free of cost, and have recorded nearly 5 crore OPD visits, including 1.55 crore unique patients.
Dr Balbir Singh said that 100 additional Aam Aadmi Clinics are being operationalised during the current year. In the coming year, 143 new Aam Aadmi Clinics will be operationalised, and 308 Subsidiary Health Centres will be transformed into Aam Aadmi Clinics to broaden coverage, taking the total number of Aam Aadmi Clinics setup by the Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government in five years to 1,432.
Furthermore, a modern Trauma Centre will be established at Sri Anandpur Sahib to provide timely emergency and critical care services.
In the field of Medical Education and Research, which received an allocation of ₹1,220 crore, Dr Balbir Singh noted that Punjab is rapidly becoming a premier medical education hub. He detailed that seven new medical colleges are being established in Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Sangrur, SBS Nagar, Lehragaga, Malerkotla, and Ludhiana, adding 600 new MBBS seats. Specifically for Malerkotla, 38.50 acres of land has been purchased at a cost of ₹49 crore for the new medical college.
Extending his greetings on International Women’s Day, Dr Balbir Singh congratulated the women of Punjab for the launch of the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna. He lauded this as the world’s first universal cash transfer scheme, providing ₹1,000 per month to all adult women and ₹1,500 per month to those from the SC community. With a budgetary outlay of ₹9,300 crore, this scheme fulfils a major guarantee of the Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government, ensuring tangible financial security and dignity for nearly 97% of adult women across the state.
