CHANDIGARH: For years, a dog bite in Punjab posed risks far beyond the wound itself, with nearly three lakh cases reported annually. Rabies, a disease that is 100 percent fatal if untreated but fully preventable through timely vaccination, threatened thousands of families. Previously, Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) was available at only 48 Primary Health Centres, forcing victims—including children, the elderly, and daily wage workers—to travel long distances, wait for hours, lose wages, and often abandon the critical five-dose vaccination schedule. The gaps were systemic, and the human cost was severe.
Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership, the Punjab Government has transformed this reality. Leveraging 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics established over the last three years, ARV services have now been universalised at the primary care level. Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh highlighted that this initiative ensures timely, complete treatment close to people’s homes, marking a major public health milestone and building a safer, healthier Punjab.
The impact has been immediate and measurable. Over the past four months, an average of 1,500 dog bite patients per month have received care at these clinics, starting treatment within minutes of arrival. Thousands are now completing the full five-dose schedule, dramatically reducing the risk of rabies fatalities. What was once a stressful, costly, and uncertain process has become a seamless, accessible public health system, demonstrating how strong primary healthcare and decisive governance can save lives, reduce inequality, and restore public trust.
