While the second wave of Covid-19 has wreaked havoc in various healthcare sectors in the country, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered immediate recruitment of 400 nurses and 140 technicians at government medical colleges.

 He also directed the Medical Education and Research Department to expedite the medical college projects approved or in progress in the state so that Punjab is not left behind in the development of medical infrastructure.

The chief minister said he will also write to the Centre for a direction to satellite centres of the Chandigarh's PGIMER and military hospitals in Punjab to provide additional COVID beds. Pre-fabricated structures can be used for this purpose, he stressed, according to the official statement.

Amarinder Singh also reviewed the functioning of the Department of Medical Education and Research. Efforts are also being made to establish medical colleges at Malerkotla and Gurdaspur with the approval of the Union government, he said, adding that the satellite centres of PGIMER will also be commissioned at Sangrur this year. The construction of a satellite centre of the PGIMER at Ferozepur has started, he said.

Further, approval has recently been received from the ICMR, New Delhi, for setting up a national institute of virology at Mohali, he said.

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