Punjab Clinics Shut: Thousands Strike, Lakhs Affected

Thousands of contractual employees of Punjab's Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) launched a significant strike on Monday, causing widespread disruption to primary healthcare services across the state. This action led to the closure of over 1,000 government-run clinics, severely inconveniencing lakhs of patients who rely on these facilities for daily medical needs. The Aam Aadmi Clinic Sanjha Front organized demonstrations, advocating for their absorption into the health department as regular employees. They also demanded benefits equivalent to those enjoyed by permanent government staff, highlighting their crucial role since the clinics' inception.

The strike brought routine outpatient services to a standstill, impacting over one lakh daily patient visits. Essential services including free consultations, medicine distribution, laboratory investigations, and screening for common illnesses were halted. Patients seeking treatment for ailments like diarrhea were forced to travel long distances to civil hospitals. Following discussions with National Health Mission officials, the employees' front announced a temporary suspension of the strike, agreeing to a 15-day period for the government to consider their demands. Employees were expected to resume duties on Tuesday, with the health minister confirming the government's commitment to reviewing their requests.