MOHALI : In a significant move to recognize the tireless and selfless service of medical professionals, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh honoured 59 top-performing doctors from both the government and private sectors on Thursday. The State Level Doctors’ Award Ceremony was held at the Municipal Bhawan to commemorate National Doctors’ Day.
The awards were instituted under a first-of-its-kind “Policy to Honour Doctors for Outstanding Services,” introduced by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government. Under this institutionalized and strictly merit-based policy, top-performing doctors from the State Health Department, Government Medical Colleges, and the private sector received a Certificate of Honour and a ceremonial memento.
Advancing Super-Specialty Healthcare
During the event, Dr. Balbir Singh specifically highlighted the groundbreaking contributions of several medical leaders pushing the boundaries of healthcare in the state:
-
Dr. Virendra Singh: Director of the Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS), Mohali. The Minister noted the hospital’s rapid evolution, praising its recent medical milestones.
-
Dr. Ashish Gulia: Director of Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Center, lauded for elevating cancer care and focusing extensively on early diagnosis and prevention.
“The building which was originally supposed to be a Community Health Centre has now housed PILBS, where the first liver transplant has been successfully performed,” Dr. Singh noted, adding that the Institute is currently in the process of initiating kidney transplant services very soon.
Expanding Life-Saving ‘Hub and Spoke’ Models
The Health Minister also highly acclaimed renowned Cardiologist Dr. Bishav Mohan and Neurologist Dr. Jeyaraj D. Pandian for successfully operating hub-and-spoke-based medical projects that are currently saving thousands of lives across Punjab.
-
The Punjab STEMI Project: Aimed at providing timely treatment for heart attacks, this initiative focuses on thrombolysis. Under the project, patients are administered the life-saving Tenecteplase injection—which typically costs between ₹25,000 and ₹35,000—completely free of charge.
-
The Punjab STROKE Project: This initiative provides free mechanical thrombectomy to patients suffering from ischemic strokes, utilizing Christian Medical College (CMC) Ludhiana as the central hub and three district hospitals as the initial spokes.
Commitment to Frontline Workers
Lauding the entire medical fraternity, Dr. Balbir Singh termed doctors as true “global role models” who persistently remain at the frontline during floods, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other natural disasters. He thanked the professionals for treating every patient with love and care, even during the most challenging times.
Reiterating that quality healthcare is a fundamental right for the economically weaker sections, he emphasized the state’s aggressive commitment to ensuring that government health facilities are strictly on par with private hospitals.
Furthermore, the Minister announced that on a similar pattern, the Punjab Government will very soon organize a dedicated function to honour the invaluable frontline services of ASHA workers, paramedical staff, pharmacists, and other allied healthcare providers.
Notable Awardees
The wide array of 59 distinguished doctors honored included prominent specialists, Civil Surgeons, and grassroots Medical Officers, such as:
-
Dr. Sreenivas Reddy (Professor and Head, Department of Cardiology, PGIMER)
-
Dr. Rajinder Singh Parmar (Managing Director, Parmar Hospital)
-
Dr. Rohit Om Parkash (Chairman, Dr. Om Parkash Eye Institute)
-
Dr. Col. Rajinder Singh (Director, Akal Psychiatry Services cum Drug De-addiction Centres, Sangrur)
-
Dr. Bhavneet Bharti (Ex. Director Principal, AIMS Mohali)
-
Dr. Rakesh Sharma (Professor, GMC-Amritsar)
-
Dr. Sanjeev Bhagat (Professor and Head, Department of ENT, GMC-Patiala)
-
Dr. Neetu Kukar (Professor and Head, IHBT Blood Centre, GGS Medical College-Faridkot)
