chandigarh after focussing on improving primary health services through aam aadmi clinics aac the punjab government is looking to strengthen emergency care services in its hospitals across the stateemergency services are offered at district hospitals subdivisional hospitals and community health centres and these services are impacted due to shortage of manpower to overcome the manpower shortfall the health department is forced to depute doctors working in primary health centres to these health facilities on adhoc basisto end adhocism the government has now decided to formally transfer doctors already engaged in emergency duties from primary health centres which are to be upgraded into aacs to block headquarters or nearby institutions where emergency services are being provided round the clockthere are 521 phcs in the state with each phc the first contact point between the village community and the medical officer catering to a population of 30000 the government is in the process of upgrading phcs to aacs and aims at completing infrastructure strengthening of all centres by january 15the health department has asked all civil surgeons to share the details of doctors who can be shifted to facilities where they are required to run emergency services smoothly to safeguard the interest of doctors the length of their rural service rendered will be considered so that their prospects to join postgraduation course in future do not sufferas per norms government doctors have to serve in more difficult areas for three years and difficult areas for 45 years to avail the benefit of 30 marks in the postgraduation admission quota for inservice doctors in case of failure to submit details primary health doctors will be put on duty in aacs and they will not be available for emergency dutiespunjab health secretary ajoy sharma maintained that the government intended to strengthen emergency services by providing required manpower and putting an end to adhocism for which a detailed exercise is being carried out at the same time upgrade of phcs to aacs will ensure availability of doctors drugs and diagnostics on sustainable basisafter coming to power the aap government led by bhagwant mann started 100 aacs 65 in urban areas and 35 in rural areas in the first phase it plans to open over 500 more such clinics the government claims to be providing a wide range of medicines and 41 tests for free and about 7 lakh patients have availed free treatment since the launch of these clinics on august 15