India, June 20 -- Despite the Punjab government's push for urban healthcare reforms, rural healthcare in the state remains in crisis. Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government announced new initiatives such as 1,000 additional MBBS posts in the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS), hundreds of rural dispensaries continue to operate without medical staff or basic infrastructure, people familiar with the matter said.

A total of 1,186 rural dispensaries were set up in Punjab under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in 2006 to provide healthcare through Panchayati Raj Institutions and bring basic medical services closer to villagers. However, a majority of these dispensaries are not functioning as intended. More than 600 dispensa...