Punjab’s health system enters digital and modern era: Dr. Balbir Singh
Patiala News: Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education & Research Minister Dr. Balbir Singh today ushered Punjab’s health system into the digital age by inaugurating Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala as a fully functional e-Hospital and dedicating the Chief Minister’s Patient Facilitation Center for public service.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Balbir Singh said that the e-Hospital initiative will ensure faster, transparent, and patient-friendly health services. He added that the same system will soon be expanded to all district and sub-divisional hospitals across Punjab to provide seamless and quality healthcare to the people.
Dr. Balbir Singh stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has restored the lost glory of Rajindra Hospital by prioritizing health, education, development, and employment under the vision of ‘Rangla Punjab’. He announced that four new courses, ‘Critical Medicine, Family Medicine, Palliative Care, and Geriatric Care’ will soon begin at Rajindra Hospital.
The Minister also informed that a 300-bed Trauma Care Hospital is under construction to ensure that no patient is referred to Chandigarh due to lack of ventilators or advanced emergency facilities.
Expressing gratitude to social service organizations, Dr. Balbir Singh said that the Chief Minister’s Patient Facilitation Center, established by Round Table India under Kings XI Punjab at a cost of ₹30 lakh, will provide vital support to patients and attendants — including a help desk, waiting area, Jan Aushadhi medicines, and facilities for the elderly and differently-abled.
He added that this initiative would further strengthen the patient-doctor relationship, ensuring that every patient arriving at Rajindra Hospital receives compassionate and efficient care. He also invited other social service organizations to join in serving patients through this center.
Under the Digital India e-Hospital initiative, Rajindra Hospital has been fully computerized through an open-source hospital management system developed by NIC. The system includes computerized OPD slips, a lab information system for digital test reports, and complete digitization of hospital operations such as patient registration, billing, unique hospital ID (UHID) generation, and payments.
Dr. Balbir Singh further said that Basic Health Education and First Aid training have been introduced for students across medical and nursing disciplines. He informed that eight new medical colleges—three government and five private—will soon start functioning in Punjab.
Highlighting the government’s vision to make Patiala a medical hub, he said that treatment facilities in Punjab are being upgraded to international standards, especially since healthcare in countries like the USA and Canada remains costly. He added that under the state’s health insurance initiative, every Punjabi is now entitled to free treatment up to ₹10 lakh.
The event was attended by DRME Dr. Avnish Kumar, Director Principal Dr. R.P.S. Sibia, Medical Superintendent Dr. Vishal Chopra, Dr. Sudhir Verma, NIC State Informatics Officer Vivek Verma, Senior Director Dharmesh Kumar, Director IT Sanjeev Sharma, L.C. Gupta, Anand Sarkaria, Vivek Kumar, Dr. Deepali, Dr. Seema, and representatives from Patiala Health Foundation, Patiala Industry Association, Jan Hit Samiti, Lions Club, blood donation organizations, along with faculty members and medical students.
