Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 22

An interactive session on ‘Challenges for health and education’ was organised today jointly by the Social Thinkers Forum, Ludhiana, and PAU Employees Union at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today. At the session, it was informed that health and education form the basis of development for a society. However, both these important sectors had been ignored by successive governments, it was told. The exclusion of a large section of society from both of these had reached its peak in recent years.

Dr Inderveer Gill, senior advisor, PCMS association, said public spending on health had come down from 1.35 per cent of the GDP to 1.28 per cent as against required 5 per cent as per the requirements of the World Health Organisation to provide adequate healthcare to the people of the country.

He said the situation in Punjab was even worse and out of pocket expenditure in the state was more than other parts of the country. About 30 per cent posts of specialist doctor, 15% posts of Medical Officer, nearly 25% of Staff Nurse and nearly 30% of Pharmacist and Lab Technician were lying vacant. A majority of these appointments were to be made in rural areas, he said.