‘Fake patients’ row erupts over Punjab health tableau

A political row erupted in Punjab on Monday after opposition parties accused the Bhagwant Mann government of allegedly presenting Health Department employees as beneficiaries of knee replacement surgeries and making them dance during the state-level Independence Day function in Ferozepur to showcase the success of its flagship healthcare scheme.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia attacked the AAP government over the tableau, alleging that people who had not undergone knee replacement surgery were portrayed as beneficiaries who had successfully received the treatment.

The AAP rejected the broader criticism of its healthcare record, with Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia defending Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and saying his government had demonstrated unprecedented concern for people's health.

Dance sparks row

The controversy centres on a Health Department tableau displayed during the Independence Day programme attended by Mann in Ferozepur.

As part of the presentation highlighting the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, five people, including three senior citizens, were seen dancing to a popular Punjabi song playing in the background.

The performance was intended to showcase the state's healthcare initiatives, including treatment available to residents under the scheme.

Opposition leaders, however, alleged that some of those shown as beneficiaries were actually Health Department employees who had never undergone the knee replacement procedures purportedly being highlighted.

The allegations have triggered questions over whether the participants were genuine patients, though the claims made by the opposition have not been independently established.

‘Not political props’

Warring launched a sharp attack on the state government, accusing it of turning the Independence Day programme into a publicity exercise.

"Our elders are our pride, not props for political publicity," the Punjab Congress chief said in a post on X.

He alleged that Health Department employees had been presented as elderly beneficiaries of successful knee replacement surgeries despite not having undergone the procedure.

Calling the episode a "spectacle of lies", Warring said Punjab's healthcare system required doctors, medicines and treatment rather than what he described as propaganda and photo opportunities.

"Our elders deserve dignity. Punjab deserves the truth," he said.

SAD joins attack

Majithia also targeted the government, alleging that people who had never undergone knee replacement surgery were made to dance and portrayed as successfully treated patients.

The SAD leader claimed Health Department employees had been presented as beneficiaries and the performance projected as evidence of the government's healthcare achievements.

"What kind of 'health revolution' is this?" Majithia asked while questioning the credibility of the presentation.

The allegation added another front to the continuing political confrontation between the AAP government and opposition parties over the condition of Punjab's public healthcare system and the government's publicity surrounding its welfare programmes.

Bajwa takes dig

Bajwa also seized on the controversy to attack what he described as the AAP's "model of governance".

The Congress leader alleged that "fake beneficiaries" of knee replacements under the government's health insurance programme had been asked to dance during the Independence Day celebrations.

According to Bajwa, the incident reflected a pattern of "big claims" and extensive publicity by the AAP government before facts eventually emerged to challenge its narrative.

The opposition leaders have demanded accountability over the episode, although no evidence establishing the identities or medical histories of the participants was cited in the government's statement.

₹10 lakh cover

The controversy comes as the Mann government promotes the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana as a major expansion of publicly funded healthcare in Punjab.

Under the scheme, the government is providing eligible residents cashless healthcare coverage of up to ₹10 lakh.

The programme has been positioned by the AAP government as one of its major welfare initiatives, alongside the expansion of Aam Aadmi Clinics and other measures intended to increase access to healthcare.

The Health Department tableau at the Ferozepur event was meant to showcase these initiatives and their impact on patients.

Instead, the dancing participants have become the centre of a political dispute over the authenticity of the government's presentation.

AAP hits back

Responding to questions about the allegations made by Warring and Majithia, Sisodia defended the Mann administration and advised opposition parties to concentrate on problems within their own organisations.

"The way Bhagwant Mann sahib has shown concern for Punjab and its people is something no party or chief minister in the history of Punjab has ever done before," Sisodia said.

He said the opposition parties criticising Mann should focus on managing their own affairs.

Sisodia maintained that the Chief Minister was deeply concerned about the health of Punjab's people and was ensuring that healthcare issues were addressed effectively.

The people of Punjab were aware of the government's work in the sector, he added.

Sisodia, however, did not directly address the specific opposition allegation that Health Department employees who had not undergone knee replacement surgery were presented as beneficiaries during the performance.

Politics over healthcare

Healthcare has emerged as one of the central political battlegrounds in Punjab since the AAP came to power in 2022.

The Mann government has repeatedly highlighted its network of Aam Aadmi Clinics, free medicines and diagnostic services and the expansion of health coverage as evidence of its governance model.

The Congress and SAD, meanwhile, have frequently challenged the government's claims, pointing to staffing, infrastructure and other problems in the state's public hospitals.

The latest controversy has now shifted the debate from the scope of the government's healthcare programmes to the manner in which their achievements are being presented publicly.

With the opposition alleging that the Independence Day tableau used staged beneficiaries and the AAP defending its overall healthcare record, the identities and medical histories of those who participated in the Ferozepur performance are likely to remain at the centre of the political dispute.