The state government will spend Rs 1,000 crore to make medical and health care accessible to all, irrespective of economic status of an individual.

Bikram Singh Majithia, public relations, science and technology, water supply and sanitation and non-conventional resources minister, at a function here today, said the Punjab government had started the Bhai Kanahaiya Scheme for the poor via cooperative societies under which they could get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh in any hospital by giving an insurance premium of Rs 2,000.

He said 98 doctors had been recruited for primary health centres, while 1,900 ANMs and more than 400 staff nurses had been employed for community health centres. Besides, he added, applications were invited to recruit 100 doctors through the Punjab Public Service Commission. He said 121 ayurvedic doctors were appointed and the process had already been started to employ 156 more doctors.

Answering queries, he said all government hospitals and three medical colleges, including Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot, were connected with the PGI, Chandigarh, through the “tele-medicine” scheme spending Rs 4 crore for expert consultation in case of any emergency. He said recently the government started mobile medical units with eight members, including two doctors.