Chandigarh, November 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Thursday announced that the state government has issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) for establishing a medical college and teaching hospital at Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, describing it as a Diwali gift for the Doaba region.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan alongside Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri and Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Kumar Rahul, Dr Balbir Singh said the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) had issued the award to Indus Super Speciality Healthcare Private Limited under the Public-Private Partnership (DBFOT) model.
The project involves an investment of approximately Rs 160 crore. It will upgrade the existing 150-bed District Hospital at Nawanshahr into a 220-bed teaching hospital compliant with National Medical Commission (NMC) requirements, along with academic and residential infrastructure.
The complex will also have a 30-bed super-speciality cardiac care unit equipped with interventional cardiology facilities, including a catheterisation laboratory for angiography and angioplasty.
Dr Balbir Singh said construction of the medical college building would begin next month and the institution was expected to become operational within 18 months, despite the formal project timeline allowing up to three years. He cited the availability of the existing hospital building, dialysis centre and critical care block as factors supporting the accelerated timeline.
The medical college will offer 50 MBBS seats annually, with 50 per cent reserved under the Punjab Government quota, the minister said.
Highlighting the regional benefits, he said the facility would serve residents of Nawanshahr, Balachaur, Ropar, Garhshankar, Banga, Machhiwara and surrounding areas within a 35-40 km radius. He said patients requiring emergency cardiac care would have access to treatment closer to home instead of travelling to PGI Chandigarh or referral centres in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to affordable healthcare, Dr Balbir Singh said the OPD registration fee would remain Rs 10. Eligible beneficiaries would receive cashless treatment under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY) and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
He added that essential medicines would be provided free through government pharmacies, while CT scans, MRI scans and other diagnostic tests would be available at highly subsidised rates.
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