Patiala November 4, 2025 : Punjab’s Minister for Medical Education & Research and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Balbir Singh, inaugurated Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala as a fully digital e-hospital, connecting the state’s healthcare system with the modern digital era. He also dedicated the Chief Minister’s Patient Assistance Centre to serve patients.
Dr. Balbir Singh stated that patients at Rajindra Hospital will now receive faster, more transparent, and accessible healthcare services. He added that this digital system will soon be launched in all district and sub-divisional hospitals across the state to provide better healthcare facilities to the people of Punjab. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab government has revived the old glory of Rajindra Hospital, prioritizing health, development, education, and employment as part of the “Rangla Punjab” vision.
He further announced that four new medical courses — Critical Medicine, Family Medicine, Palliative Care, and Geriatric Care — will be introduced at the hospital. Along with upgrading the Super Specialty Hospital with modern facilities, a 300-bed Trauma Care Hospital is also being constructed so that no patient has to be referred to Chandigarh due to a shortage of ventilators.
Thanking social service organizations, Dr. Singh mentioned that under the initiative of Kings XI Punjab and Round Table India, the Chief Minister’s Patient Assistance Centre — built at a cost of ₹30 lakh — is equipped with a help desk offering facilities for patients and their attendants to sit, wait, access Jan Aushadhi medicines, and receive all kinds of assistance, especially for senior citizens and differently-abled individuals.
He said this initiative will strengthen the bond between patients and doctors, ensuring that every patient visiting Rajindra Hospital leaves satisfied. He also invited social service organizations to come forward and volunteer at the assistance center.
Under the Digital India initiative, the e-hospital project has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) as an open-source hospital management system, making Rajindra Hospital fully digital. Patients will now receive computerized OPD slips and lab reports through an integrated Laboratory Information System.
Dr. Singh explained that through the billing module, all hospital operations have become digital — from patient registration, billing, and lab reporting to issuing unique hospital IDs and computerized receipts for digital payments.
He also shared that early health education programs have been started for medical, nursing, and other students, and that a total of eight new medical colleges — including three government and five private institutions — will soon be established in Punjab.
Dr. Singh added that as treatment costs in countries like the USA and Canada are extremely high, Patiala is being developed into a medical hub to provide world-class healthcare services. Furthermore, by offering medical coverage of up to ₹10 lakh for every Punjabi, the state government has taken the healthcare revolution to new heights.
Among those present on the occasion were Dr. Avneesh Kumar (DRME), Dr. R.P.S. Sibia (Director Principal), Dr. Vishal Chopra (Medical Superintendent), Dr. Sudhir Verma, Vivek Verma (State Informatics Officer, NIC), Dharmesh Kumar (Senior Director), Sanjeev Sharma (IT Director), L.C. Gupta, Anand Sarkaria, Vivek Kumar, Dr. Deepali, Dr. Seema, and representatives from Patiala Health Foundation, Patiala Industry Association, Janhit Committee, Lions Club, Blood Donation organizations, other social service groups, faculty members, and medical students.
Summary:
The Punjab government has unveiled a landmark decision aimed at bringing transformative changes across the state, signaling a fresh start for governance, development, and public welfare.