India Pharma Outlook Team | Monday, 13 April 2026
Punjab is moving ahead with its plan to expand primary healthcare through pind clinics, with Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh confirming that 1,100 pind clinics will be launched in the first phase.
The state aims to scale this up to 2,500 clinics to eventually cover all 12,500 villages.
Right now, 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics serve about 2,000 villages, reaching only 16 percent of the rural population. The new pind clinics are designed to close this gap by bringing basic healthcare closer to underserved communities.
“The pind clinics are aimed at providing affordable, accessible and quality primary healthcare services to underserved villages. These clinics will serve as the first interface of contact for individuals seeking medical treatment,” said the Minister.
Also Read: The Future of MedTech in India: Meeting Tier-2 and Tier-3 Needs
Officials say the pind clinics will be set up in locations chosen based on population density, existing healthcare facilities, and local needs. Each clinic will be staffed by an auxiliary nurse midwife or staff nurse along with a pharmacist. A single team will manage two clinics daily.
Doctors will not be physically present but will consult patients through video calls. Each doctor is expected to handle five pind clinics at once using a digital token system. When a patient arrives, the pharmacist will log their complaint and register them online.
The nurse will check vitals if needed, after which the patient will consult the doctor via video. Medicines will then be provided at the clinic itself. Officials believe pind clinics will ease pressure on higher-level hospitals while also supporting public health campaigns and awareness drives.
However, not everyone is convinced. Dr Jasbir Aulakh from Indian Doctors’ for Peace and Development said, “The government should first review the existing model of telemedicine in district hospitals and ayushman kendras, and fill the vacant posts. It should also take over the health facilities of the rural department.”
