Expanding its flagship primary healthcare network to the rural areas, the Punjab government is set to inaugurate 250 Aam Aadmi Pind Clinics (AAPCs) across the state in the first phase.
According to official documents accessed by HT, Patiala will get the highest number of Pind Clinics (38), followed by Rupnagar (32) and Sangrur (26).
The rural development department has completed construction of the facilities and has started handing them over to the health department after joint inspections. The clinics will operate from 8am to 2pm every day, except on Sundays, following the same schedule as existing Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs).
Designed as the first points of contact for patients in rural areas, the clinics will offer free consultations, essential medicines, diagnostic tests and preventive healthcare services. The centres will also undertake awareness campaigns, public health programmes and community outreach activities aligned with the state’s healthcare initiatives.
Unlike conventional health centres, the Pind Clinics will primarily operate through teleconsultation. Patients will be registered by a pharmacist, while an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) or staff nurse will record vital parameters. Doctors will then consult patients through video consultation using the e-Sanjeevani platform. It is learnt that one doctor will supervise up to five clinics simultaneously through a software-based token system. The clinics will also be equipped with diagnostic facilities, including haematology and biochemistry analysers, besides a stock of essential medicines.
