The Punjab Health Department has issued fresh directions to rationalise the deployment of specialist doctors for VVIP and VIP medical duties, aiming to reduce disruption in government hospitals and ensure availability of specialist services for the public. The instructions have been conveyed to all Deputy Commissioners and Civil Surgeons across the state.
Under the new guidelines, a three-member specialist medical team will be deputed for the Governor of Punjab and the Chief Minister. This team will be headed by an MD (Medicine) or MD (Anaesthesia) and will include either an MS (Orthopaedics) or MS (Surgery) along with an Emergency Medical Officer. The department has also directed that rural medical officers will be given preference for VIP and VVIP duties, including medical cover required during fairs, agitations, protest sites, or national and state-level sports events. Paramedical staff will accompany such teams.
For night-time deployments, the authorities have been asked to ensure proper stay arrangements for medical personnel. Previously, seven medical specialists were part of a team, and sometimes hospitals at the district level were left without any specialists when there were visits from two VVIPs/VIPs in a district.
The move comes amid growing concern that frequent deputation of specialist doctors for VIP duties is adversely affecting patient care, particularly at the district level, due to frequent visits from VIPs and VVIPs. The repeated deployment of specialists on emergency VIP services has often resulted in OPDs being understaffed, leaving poor patients without access to basic consultation.
In several cases, specialists are already serving at two different healthcare institutions on alternate days, effectively limiting their availability to three days a week at a single centre. VIP duties further reduce this time. A senior Health Department official admitted that earlier, whenever a VVIP arrived, seven-eight specialists from different departments, along with a lab technician, Class IV employee, and driver, were routinely deputed. The medical team had to follow the VIP convoy in an ambulance, even though the VIP rarely sought medical consultation.
Punjab’s public health system has long been grappling with an acute shortage of specialists, particularly in gynaecology, anaesthesia, orthopaedics, and radiology. Of the 2,098 sanctioned specialist posts, nearly 1,000 remain vacant. Despite repeated recruitment drives, the state has struggled to attract and retain specialists, many of whom opt for private practice due to better pay, fewer administrative burdens, and fewer non-clinical duties such as VIP deployment.