Patiala, Sept. 1 -- In a bid to bring informal clinics operating across the state into the formal healthcare net, the Punjab has directed all civil surgeons to prepare a comprehensive list of unregistered medical practitioners for state-run medical training, triggering sharp reactions from experts who warn the move risks legitimising quackery.

The initiative comes at a time when Punjab is grappling with a persistent shortage of qualified doctors. With hundreds of posts remaining vacant in rural community health centres (CHCs) and primary healthcare facilities, a vast majority of the rural population depend on informal practitioners for first-contact care. The exercise is aimed at quantifying and regulating this informal safety net, said ...