Patiala: Punjab health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh on Thursday handed over appointment letters to 80 covid warriors as nursing staff and announced that the critical care block at Govt Medical College Rajindra Hospital will become operational in Nov.The newly appointed staff, who previously served on the frontlines at govt medical colleges in Amritsar, Faridkot, and Patiala during the pandemic, will receive specialised training.Of the 80 appointees, 60 nursing staff members will be posted at Rajindra Hospital’s critical care block in Patiala, while 20 will be deployed at Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) in Mohali.Dr Balbir Singh stated that the state govt is establishing critical care blocks in all remaining 22 districts of Punjab to expand advanced healthcare facilities, where services of covid warriors and volunteers will be further utilised.Highlighting recruitment figures, the minister said the Punjab govt has provided around 70,000 jobs to youth, including nearly 10,000 appointments within the health department alone.The minister noted that honouring covid warriors who risked their lives during the pandemic was a personal commitment of the CM, adding that dialogue remains open with other volunteers to explore future employment opportunities.The event was attended by director of medical education and research Dr Avnish Kumar, GMC Patiala director-principal Dr RPS Sibia, AIMS Mohali director-principal Dr Navdeep Saini, and medical superintendent Dr Vishal Chopra.
