Why Fourth Pillar’s Questions Exasperate Leaders in Power?
Jag Mohan Thaken
SOUTH INDIA TIMES
CAPITAL INFORMATION
THE HOMEPAGES
NORTHLINES
Tuesday, 6 January 2026
Why Fourth Pillar’s Questions Exasperate Leaders in Power? Jag Mohan Thaken
SOUTH INDIA TIMES
CAPITAL INFORMATION
THE HOMEPAGES
NORTHLINES
Women Health: Will Punjab Be a Path Setter? Jag Mohan Thaken
Women
Health: Will Punjab Be a Path Setter?
Jag Mohan
Thaken
HindustanTimes on its web portal reported an incident, on Oct 15, 2025, which makes
everyone shudder and reflects how the humanity has dipped into a deep well of
poisonous inhuman water.
“A
27-year-old woman was allegedly forced to give birth on the roadside in Palwal (Haryana)
on Sunday afternoon after the doctors at the local government hospital refused
to attend to her without a fresh ultrasound report, her family and police said
on Tuesday, adding that the baby was declared dead soon after.
Hospital
staff allegedly told the woman’s family that she could not be admitted for
delivery until they produced a new ultrasonography report, despite the family
showing one that was a week old. With no ambulance available, the woman’s
husband placed her on a motorcycle and drove to a private diagnostic centre
nearby, according to the family’s complaint filed with the police. Ultimately the
baby had to breath his last.”
Another
example of shameless behaviour of Haryana government hospital staff:
NDTV.com
in its updated news on Jan 10, 2024, reports, “A woman gave birth to a baby on
a vegetable cart on the premises of the government-run district hospital in
Haryana's Ambala yesterday after the doctors allegedly refused to pay attention
to her husband's repeated requests for help. The baby was born out of doors on
one this winter's coldest evenings. The man -- a resident of Dappar, a city in
Punjab's Mohali district-- had been running from pillar to post after managing
to bring his pregnant wife to the hospital. But no one was ready even to bring
a stretcher for her, he said.”
Such
examples are not limited to the boundaries of any state.
RajasthanNDTV, on Jul 02, 2025, posted on its web portal, “Pregnant woman gave birth to
a child on the road in Karauli (Rajasthan): A shameful incident involving the
health department has come to light in Karauli. A woman gave birth to a child
on the road outside the district's Community Health Center (CHC). The CHC was
locked due to the absence of doctors and medical staff. The pregnant woman's
family members made her sit on the road. Later in the afternoon, the woman,
writhing in pain, gave birth.”
However,
on January 5,2026, Haryana Health Minister Arti Singh Rao has directed
officials to ensure that special emphasis is laid on strengthening the state’s
healthcare infrastructure in the upcoming general budget. She said that, based
on GIS mapping, it must be ensured that no region of the state remains deprived
of health institutions and that all citizens receive equitable and quality
healthcare services.
The
Minister reiterated that the Haryana Government is fully committed to the
health of the common people and that every possible step will be taken to
provide accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare services across the
state.
Now
question arises, despite a developed state and having a double engine
government of the same party for the last 11 years, both in state and centre, and
as being claimed the Haryana Government is fully committed, then why it has not
succeeded yet in providing an accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare
services across the state? Aren’t the incidents of Oct 15, 2025 and Jan 10,
2024 a stigma on the face of BJP-led state government?
Amid such
disturbing news, Punjab has claimed to have developed an Oasis in the Women Health
Sector. Let us see what do they claim?
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr.
Balbir Singh, on January 4, 2026, claimed that in a major stride toward
safeguarding the health of future generations, the Punjab Government has
successfully decentralized maternal healthcare, with Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs)
emerging as the new lifeline for expectant mothers. Within just four months of
launching a specialized, protocol-driven pregnancy care model, the state has
recorded a massive surge in service utilization, with nearly 20,000 pregnant
women visiting these clinics every month.
Sharing the success of the initiative, the Minister
Dr. Balbir Singh revealed that the program has already provided free ultrasound
services to over 10,000 women through a unique referral system. By empanelling
nearly 500 private diagnostic centres, the government has ensured that women
can access scans—which usually cost between ₹800 and ₹2,000—entirely free of
charge. This intervention alone has saved Punjab’s families an estimated ₹1
crore in out-of-pocket expenses in a short span of 120 days.
Official data shows that less than 70 percent
of pregnant women in Punjab had received their first ante-natal check-up and
fewer than 60 percent had completed the recommended four check-ups, while the
state’s maternal mortality ratio stood at 90 per one lakh live births, higher
than the national average. These figures underlined the urgent need for a
comprehensive, accessible pregnancy care model across the state.
The
Minister stated that Punjab witnesses nearly 4.3 lakh pregnancies every year,
making early detection, regular monitoring, and timely referral critical for
safeguarding the health of mothers and infants. Over the last three years, the
Mann government has established 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics, which have emerged as
the backbone of Punjab’s primary healthcare system, recording over 4.6 crore
OPD visits and treating nearly 70,000 patients daily. Leveraging this
infrastructure, the government launched an expanded, protocol-driven pregnancy
care model through AACs around four months ago.
Under this reform, all essential ante-natal
check-ups are now available at Aam Aadmi Clinics themselves. These include
routine and critical tests such as HIV and syphilis screening, complete blood
tests, sugar, thyroid, hepatitis, fatal heart rate, cholesterol and haemoglobin
assessments. Where ultrasounds are required, AAC doctors issue referral slips
enabling pregnant women to access free ultrasound services.
Importantly, around 5,000 women are being
identified monthly as high-risk pregnancies, allowing for continuous tracking,
focused support, and timely referral to higher medical facilities for
specialist care.
The
Minister revealed that the reform has also significantly improved the patient
experience. Women can now complete most pregnancy-related tests close to their
homes, avoid long travel and queues at major hospitals, receive consultations
within minutes, and access ultrasound services without any financial burden.
From the first ante-natal visit to post-natal follow-up, the initiative
strengthens the entire pregnancy care pathway by integrating technology,
standardised clinical protocols, referral systems and community-level support.
On this momentous achievement, Health Minister
Dr Balbir Singh said the initiative reflects the Punjab government’s commitment
to maternal and child health. “Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister
Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab is building a healthcare system that ensures every
mother receives quality care close to home. With 4.3 lakh pregnancies annually,
the expansion of pregnancy care services at Aam Aadmi Clinics is a
transformative step and sets a new benchmark for primary healthcare in India,”
he said.
The government maintains that the initiative
is one of Punjab’s most significant investments in maternal and child health in
recent years, aimed at ensuring that no woman is left behind due to geography,
income constraints or lack of awareness, while steadily improving health
outcomes for mothers and newborns across the state.
The
Health Minister said that under the Diagnostic Initiative, X-ray and ultrasound
facilities are being provided at all secondary healthcare facilities or
empanelled diagnostic centres at nominal government fixed rates. To bridge the
human resource gap, he said that 3,620 health professionals have been recruited
over the last three years, including specialists, medical officers, nurses, and
frontline workers. Special initiatives such as re-employment of specialists up
to 65 years and hiring on empanelment basis are further boosting specialist
availability, he added.
While
highlighting the government’s commitment towards women-centric welfare policies,
the Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development, Punjab, Dr.
Baljit Kaur, stated on December 29,2025 that the state Government continues to
take people-centric initiatives to ensure the welfare of women and strengthen
maternal and child health security. In this direction, the Punjab Government
has disbursed financial assistance worth ₹26.06 crore to pregnant women and
lactating mothers during the current financial year.
Dr.
Baljit Kaur emphasized that the scheme is not limited to financial assistance
alone, but is a significant step towards strengthening maternal health,
nutrition, and newborn care. She reiterated that the Punjab Government is
committed to ensuring that no mother is deprived of essential healthcare
services due to financial constraints, and that every child receives a safe and
healthy start to life.
Providing
further details, Dr. Baljit Kaur said that under the scheme, financial
assistance of ₹5,000 is provided on the birth of the first child, which is
released in two instalments—₹3,000 as the first instalment and ₹2,000 as the
second instalment.
She added
that on the birth of the second child, if the child is a girl, financial
assistance of ₹6,000 is provided in a single instalment. The Minister
emphasized that the entire amount is transferred directly into the
beneficiaries’ bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to ensure
transparency and timely support.
The
Cabinet Minister informed that so far, 69,110 pregnant and lactating women have
benefitted from the scheme during the current financial year. She further
stated that the Punjab Government has set a target to cover 1.14 lakh
beneficiary women during the financial year 2025–26 under this scheme.
Reaffirming
the government’s resolve, she said that the Punjab Government remains fully
committed to the welfare of women and children, and ensuring that the benefits
of government schemes reach every eligible beneficiary remains the top
priority.
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