Chandigarh: Even as Punjab expanded its healthcare infrastructure and improved the availability of medical staff in recent years, stark regional disparities continued to persist across districts, particularly in rural areas where access to doctors, nurses, and hospital facilities remained uneven.Since coming to power in 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) govt took steps to strengthen the state’s health system by improving physical infrastructure, adding equipment, and recruiting doctors and nurses. However, gaps in both infrastructure and manpower still remained, especially in underserved regions.Data shows that Punjab made gradual progress in expanding healthcare facilities. In terms of physical infrastructure, the population served per medical institution increased to 6,871 in 2025, compared with 6,847 in 2024, according to data shared in the Economic Survey of Punjab 2025-26. Similarly, the population served per hospital bed rose slightly to 1,572 in 2025, against 1,569 in 2024. On average, a medical institution in the state serves an area within a 2.68 km radius.Despite these improvements, wide disparities exist across districts. For instance, in Malerkotla, a medical institution serves about 2,400 people, whereas in Amritsar the same figure rises sharply to 10,717 individuals, more than two times higher. A similar gap is visible in hospital bed availability. In Faridkot, 1 bed serves 836 individuals, while in Ludhiana the figure rises to 2,957 people, nearly four times higher.Human resources in healthcare also showed improvement overall, though they remained unevenly distributed. The population served per doctor declined to 495 individuals in 2025, compared with 510 individuals per doctor in 2024, indicating a gradual increase in the availability of doctors. The situation for nursing staff also improved, with 1 nurse serving 303 individuals in 2025, compared with 334 individuals in 2024.However, district-level data highlights significant imbalances. In Tarn Taran, 1 doctor caters to more than 26,395 individuals, whereas in Pathankot the figure is less than 165, and in Faridkot around 442 individuals per doctor. A similar disparity exists for nursing staff. In Malerkotla, a single nurse serves more than 84,494 individuals, while in Kapurthala the number is about 144 individuals per nurse.Maternal healthcare strongMaternal healthcare indicators in Punjab remain relatively strong, though there is still room for improvement. In the state, 94.3% of deliveries took place in health facilities, and 95.6% were assisted by skilled health personnel, both figures higher than the national average. However, states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where institutional deliveries are close to 100%, show that Punjab still has ground to cover in achieving optimal maternal health outcomes.Awareness about antenatal care and professional assistance during childbirth remains an important focus area. Data also indicates that 89.6% of deliveries in Punjab were followed by post-natal check-ups for mothers. The state’s performance on breastfeeding indicators is comparatively weaker. Among children born in the past 2 years, 92% were ever breastfed, lower than the national average of 95.9%. The median duration of breastfeeding among last-born children in the past 3 years is also below the national average.
