Kharar: Dr. Ramesh Kumar Bali, State President of the Medical Practitioners Association Punjab (Regd. No. 295), met with Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to raise the long-pending issue of registration for medical practitioners across the state. The discussion focused on their demands and the crucial role they play in rural healthcare.
Dr. Bali explained to the Finance Minister that thousands of medical practitioners in Punjab provide affordable health services and enjoy the immense trust of rural populations. He noted that the association has been demanding registration for years and has held several meetings with the Health Minister and senior officials of the Health Department. Although the government had previously assured them of opening a path to registration through qualification-based courses, no concrete progress has been made yet.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema assured the association that the government is considering the matter seriously. He stated that, keeping in mind the importance of rural health services, a final decision will be taken soon, and necessary steps will be initiated to start the training courses and subsequent registration process.
It was clarified that the Punjab government is actively working toward a solution and plans to launch a short-term training course through a university. The Finance Minister assured that this course is starting soon. The eligibility criteria for the course will be a 10th-grade pass with a minimum of 5 years of experience, and the training will be conducted online.
State General Secretary Dr. Maghar Singh, Mohali District Patron Dr. Baljit Saneta, Chairman Dr. Dharwinder Kumar Durali, along with other association members—Dr. Deep Kumar, Dr. Pritpal Singh, Dr. Narinder Singh, Dr. Kulbir Singh, Dr. Ankit Kumar Verma, Dr. Sandeep, and Mukesh Kadewala—expressed hope that the government will soon resolve the issue. Files for the training will be collected at the respective district headquarters.