Chandigarh, Oct 27 (PTI) The Punjab government will open Aam Aadmi Clinics in central jails to provide comprehensive and quality healthcare, including crucial mental health support, to inmates, said state health minister Balbir Singh on Monday.
He said that apart from treating physical ailments, taking care of the mental health of inmates is equally important. “We recognise that many of those behind bars are mentally disturbed, which can be a factor in them committing crimes,” he said.
Terming jails as reform homes, Singh affirmed that true justice lies in reforming individuals.
“When an inmate leaves jail, they should be healthy in both body and mind. This holistic reform is essential for realising Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s dream of a ‘Rangla Punjab’,” he said in a statement here.
The health minister stated that psychologists and psychiatrists will be deputed in Aam Aadmi Clinics at jails to provide essential psycho-social counselling to the inmates.
The expansion into the correctional facilities comes on the back of the outstanding performance of the 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics already functional in the state, Singh said.
These clinics have achieved a landmark by providing free treatment to over 4.20 crore people, with more than 2.29 crore diagnostic tests conducted free of cost since their inception on August 15, 2022, he said.
The minister said these clinics offer 107 types of free medicines and 47 types of free diagnostic tests, including specialised tests for pregnancy, Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and Dengue, making quality healthcare accessible to all. PTI CHS NSD NSD
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