In a significant step towards strengthening healthcare at the grassroots level, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Tuesday, inaugurated the reconstituted Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) across the state and exhorted these committees to work in tandem with the Government to save people from vector and water borne diseases and help in making Punjab a drug-free state.
Notably, a remarkable turnout of over 1 lakh members from 12,977 VHSNCs participated in the inauguration program via a YouTube link, demonstrating their commitment to community health.
During the virtual interaction, Dr Balbir Singh also directly engaged with over 100 members from selected VHSNCs from six districts including Mansa, Patiala, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, and Bathinda.
Emphasising the crucial role of VHSNCs in tackling prevalent health issues, Dr Balbir Singh said that key areas of focus included the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases like Dengue, Malaria, and Chikungunya, as well as addressing waterborne diseases like diarrhea. He informed that all the ASHA workers have been trained to identify mosquito larvae as part of the "Har Shukarvar Dengue Te Var" campaign, aimed at eliminating stagnant water—a breeding ground for mosquitoes— from in and around the houses. The Health Department has also been providing Gambusia fish— as a biological control measure—to be released at village ponds, he said.
He highlighted that Dengue testing is now free at all Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) and in case of diagnosis of dengue disease people can avail free treatment from any government facility.
Beyond vector-borne diseases, the Health Minister also addressed the importance of ensuring safe drinking water and creating "Nasha Mukt" (drug-free) villages with the help of Village Defence Committees, and the need for community vigilance against drug peddlers.
Dr Balbir Singh said that he will be regularly interacting with the VHSNC members in the coming days and the next interaction will focus on Maternal and child health.
With the ongoing heatwave, Dr Balbir Singh provided essential guidelines, urging people to drink adequate water, avoid working in the sun, wear loose cotton clothes, and seek immediate shade for anyone showing signs of heatstroke. He also stressed the importance of planting more trees for environmental protection.
Recognising the valuable contributions of VHSNCs, the Health Minister announced that well-performing committees will be rewarded with grants and commendation certificates.
In a subsequent meeting with Civil Surgeons of all districts, Dr Balbir Singh emphasised a paradigm shift in the approach towards public healthcare facilities. He directed the Civil Surgeons to be proactive and to "own the hospitals just like their own," urging them to move away from a mere "government ownership" mentality. He stressed that these qualities should "percolate to the patient level," advocating for treating patients with empathy, care, and good behaviour, highlighting the positive "placebo effect" such an approach can create.
Meanwhile, the health minister also took stock of the primary and secondary health services of each district.
On the occasion, Vice Chairman PHSC Maninderjit Singh Vicky, Principal Secretary Health Kumar Rahul, Member Punjab Development Commission Anurag Kundu, Secretary Health Basant Garg, Special Secretary Health-cum-MD NHM Ghanshyam Thori, MD PHSC Amit Talwar, Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Hitinder Kaur, Director Family Welfare Dr Jasminder, Director ESI Dr Jaspreet Kaur, Director PHSC Dr Anil Goyal
BOX: DISTRICTS WITH OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN VARIOUS HEALTH PROGRAMS HONOURED:
— Lowest Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in 2024-25: Ropar (25)
— Best Performing District in AACs: Sangrur
— Best Performing District in Vector Borne Diseases Control: Ludhiana
— Best Performing District in Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) (30+ screening): Pathankot
— Maximum Screening of Vulnerable Groups in 100-day TB Campaign: Fatehgarh Sahib
— Best Performing District in Immunization: Hoshiarpur
— Best Performing District in NPCB Free Distribution of Spectacles in Schools: Malerkotla
— 100% Achievement in Tubectomy and PPIUCD (Family Planning): Barnala
— Highest Sex Ratio of 964 under PC & PNDT program in Civil Registration System of 2023-24 and 2024-25: Kapurthala (964)
