A child unable to hear clearly because of repeated ear infections, an adult struggling to breathe through the nose for years, or a tobacco user ignoring a persistent mouth ulcer—ENT specialists say these are among the most common conditions for which patients delay seeking treatment, often allowing simple problems to progress into serious illnesses requiring major surgery.

Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) disorders affect people of all ages and range from chronic infections and hearing loss to sinus disease and cancers of the oral cavity and tongue. While many of these conditions are highly treatable, doctors stress that early diagnosis remains the key to preventing long-term disability and improving survival.

According to The Lancet, delays in the diagnosis of head and neck cancers are strongly associated with more advanced disease at presentation and poorer outcomes, reinforcing the importance of early evaluation of persistent symptoms.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said, “Through the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY), eligible patients in Punjab are receiving advanced ENT procedures free of cost at government and empanelled private hospitals. According to State Health Agency data, around 2,030 patients have received ENT surgeries under the scheme, with treatment worth approximately ₹5.25 crore.”

Dr Nidhi Gupta, Medical Officer (ENT Specialist), Civil Hospital, Rupnagar (Ropar), said, “People often ignore persistent ear discharge, hearing loss, a blocked nose or mouth ulcers because these conditions are usually painless in the beginning. Unfortunately, delayed treatment can lead to permanent hearing impairment, chronic sinus disease or advanced oral cancer.”

Ear disorders remain the most common ENT problem. Chronic ear infections and hearing loss account for the largest share of ENT surgeries. Patients commonly present with repeated ear discharge, reduced hearing, ringing in the ears or long-standing infections.

Recent data from the State Health Agency (SHA), Punjab, shows that around 1,050 ear surgeries, worth nearly ₹2.9 crore, were performed in the last 5+ months. These included 897 different types of tympanoplasties, 88 radical mastoidectomies, along with surgeries for trauma and pinna tumours.

Dr Gupta explained, “Most of these procedures repair damaged eardrums or remove chronic infections from the middle ear. Timely surgery restores hearing and prevents complications involving the mastoid bone and nearby structures.”

Breathing problems are often ignored

Persistent nasal blockage is frequently dismissed as a minor issue, despite its impact on sleep, work performance and quality of life. The doctor said that chronic sinus infections, a deviated nasal septum, enlarged turbinates and nasal polyps are the major causes of long-standing breathing difficulty.

As per SHA, Punjab, the state recorded nearly 900 nose and sinus surgeries, worth over ₹2.1 crore, including 395 Functional Septo Rhinoplasties, 354 Septoplasties, 227 Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgeries (FESS), and other corrective procedures under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana.

Dr Gupta said, “Patients often rely on nasal sprays for years without addressing the underlying cause. Endoscopic surgery offers long-term relief, improves breathing and reduces recurrent infections.”

Oral cancer: fewer cases, but far greater severity

Although oral and tongue surgeries account for fewer cases, specialists say they are among the most complex ENT procedures, often due to late diagnosis.

Around 80 patients underwent major oral and tongue surgeries, worth nearly ₹25 lakh, including:

• 47 oral cavity, sinus and laryngopharynx tumour excisions
• 13 tongue growth excisions with neck dissection and free flap reconstruction
• 7 composite resections with reconstruction
• Hemiglossectomy and other major procedures

She added that oral cancer often begins as a non-healing ulcer, a white or red patch, tongue pain, or difficulty swallowing. Tobacco, gutka, areca nut and alcohol remain the leading risk factors.

Dr Gupta further informed that a mouth ulcer persisting beyond two weeks should never be ignored. Evidence from international studies, including The Lancet, shows that delayed diagnosis is strongly linked to more advanced disease and worse outcomes. “Early-stage cancers can often be treated with limited surgery, while late cases require extensive reconstruction and additional therapy,” Dr Gupta stated.

Advanced disease may require neck dissection and free flap reconstruction, where tissue from another part of the body is used to rebuild oral structures and restore speech and swallowing.

Awareness can prevent major disease

Doctors say most ENT complications are preventable or treatable if addressed early.

Warning signs such as persistent ear discharge, hearing loss, chronic nasal obstruction, recurrent sinus infections, hoarseness, or mouth ulcers lasting more than two weeks should prompt immediate specialist evaluation. “Early consultation usually means simpler treatment, quicker recovery and better long-term outcomes,” Dr Gupta opined.

Lastly, she emphasised that while access to advanced surgery under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is improving care delivery, the greatest impact will come from early diagnosis, awareness and timely intervention, which can prevent disease progression and reduce the need for major surgery.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab has strongly condemned the removal of the film Satluj, based on the life of human rights activist Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra, from an OTT platform and termed it a direct attack on freedom of expression.

Addressing the media during a press conference on Monday, AAP Punjab Chief Spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Central Government and demanded the immediate lifting of the ban imposed on the film.

Targeting the Central Government, Dhaliwal said that the film narrates the true story of Punjab’s tragic and dark period, a truth that the rulers sitting in Delhi want to bury forever. He said that Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra fought fearlessly for human rights without caring for his own life and exposed before the world the truth of thousands of innocent youths who were killed in fake police encounters and cremated as unidentified bodies during that period. Banning such a historic film that presents the truth is extremely shameful. This ban proves that the Central Government is rubbing salt into Punjab’s wounds.

Dhaliwal launched a scathing attack on what he termed the triangular nexus of the Congress, the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal. He said that the Congress government at the Centre committed inhuman atrocities against the people of Punjab and unleashed brutal oppression on Sikhs during that period, and this film reflects that very dark truth. Today, the BJP and the Congress are secretly working together, which is why the film has been removed from online platforms so that the younger generation does not learn about those horrific atrocities committed by the Congress. In this entire conspiracy, the Shiromani Akali Dal has been an equal partner alongside the BJP and the Congress.

Exposing the double standards of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Dhaliwal said that Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra himself was associated with the Akali Dal, yet the Badal family and their party never stood up for him. Referring to the recent interview of Shaheed Khalra’s wife, Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra, Dhaliwal said that hearing her interview shook his soul. The account she narrated is a permanent blot on the Akali Dal. At that time, Bibi Khalra had approached Parkash Singh Badal seeking justice and help, but Badal refused to assist her.

Launching a direct attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal, Dhaliwal said that because of his father Parkash Singh Badal’s shameful and insensitive conduct, Sukhbir Badal should hang his head in shame today. The party that calls itself Panthic abandoned the family of Punjab’s greatest human rights warrior when they needed support the most.

The Aam Aadmi Party stands with the people of Punjab and the family of Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra and warns the Central Government that Punjab will never tolerate such authoritarian attempts to suppress the truth.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Monday strongly condemned the removal of the film Satluj from an OTT platform, alleging that the BJP and the Congress are working together to erase Congress’s black history in Punjab and prevent the younger generation from learning the truth about one of the darkest chapters in the state’s past.

Addressing a press conference, AAP Punjab Media Incharge Baltej Pannu said that in today’s digital age, films have become one of the most powerful mediums to educate people, especially the youth, about history. “The younger generation wants to know what happened in Punjab during 1978, 1984, the 1990s and other crucial periods. If they are denied books and documentaries, films become an important way of preserving historical truth,” said Baltej Pannu.

He said serious historical films require years of research and dedication, unlike propaganda films made merely to serve political interests. He added that while many films based on historical events have been made in Bollywood, producers today hesitate to take up such subjects because of the political risks involved.

Referring to Satluj, Baltej Pannu said the film had already suffered years of delays. It was initially titled Ghallughara, later renamed ‘Punjab 95’ after objections from the censor authorities, and eventually released as Satluj. However, within just two days of its release on the OTT platform, it was removed, raising serious questions. “This is not merely about one film. It is about whether the people in power want to erase Punjab’s history. If films based on historical facts are not allowed to reach the public, do BJP and Congress want to trap the younger generation in WhatsApp propaganda instead of allowing them to know the truth?” he asked.

He said the film is based on the life and sacrifice of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed the illegal cremation of thousands of “unidentified bodies” during the militancy era. “Jaswant Singh Khalra headed the Human Rights Wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal and painstakingly documented records from cremation grounds in Tarn Taran, proving that many of the so-called unidentified bodies actually belonged to people whose disappearances had never been accounted for,” he added.

Baltej Pannu said these incidents occurred during the Congress regime and the period of President’s Rule, making it obvious why the Congress would be uncomfortable with such a film reaching the masses.

Demanding answers, Baltej Pannu said, “Ravneet Singh Bittu must tell the people of Punjab who got this film removed. Was it done at the insistence of the Congress because the film exposes its role, or did the BJP itself decide to suppress Punjab’s painful history?”

Baltej Pannu also criticised the Shiromani Akali Dal, saying that while its president Sukhbir Singh Badal is now making emotional social media posts over the film, the family of Jaswant Singh Khalra itself has publicly spoken about the Akali Dal government’s attitude after Khalra’s disappearance.

He referred to a viral video of Paramjit Kaur Khalra, who revealed that while the family was searching for Jaswant Singh Khalra, Parkash Singh Badal was focused on campaigning to bring the Akali Dal to power. According to her, after the Akali Dal formed the government, the family approached Parkash Singh Badal for help, but he merely advised them to focus on educating their children instead of helping them find Jaswant Singh Khalra. Baltej Pannu remarked that perhaps Parkash Singh Badal already knew Jaswant Singh Khalra would never return. The family eventually performed his last rites in 1997.

“If the Akali Dal was genuinely committed to justice, why did it fail the Khalra family when they needed support the most?” asked Baltej Pannu.

He further pointed out that the Akali Dal’s 1996 election manifesto had promised to establish a Truth Commission to investigate officers involved in illegally picking up and killing innocent Punjabi youth during that period. However, after forming the government in 1997, instead of holding those officials accountable, the Akali Dal government rewarded many of them with promotions. “Today they are shedding crocodile tears on social media. Their actions in government completely contradicted the promises they made before the elections,” he said.

Baltej Pannu alleged that both the Congress and the BJP are uncomfortable with the film because it exposes the truth of that period and highlights grave human rights violations.

Recalling his own experience as a journalist, Baltej Pannu referred to the testimony of key witness Kirpal Singh Randhawa. He said false rape charges were filed against Kirpal Singh Randhawa in Patiala to stop him from testifying. Kirpal Singh Randhawa was later acquitted, and the Patiala court ordered criminal proceedings against seven individuals involved in fabricating the case, including the then SSP Paramraj Singh Umranangal, besides imposing a penalty of ₹49 lakh on them. “Kirpal Singh Randhawa is no longer with us, but his testimony remains an important part of history. Such incidents show the extent to which powerful people went to suppress the truth,” he said.

He said banning a film cannot erase historical facts or silence the sacrifices of those who fought for justice and human rights. “The story of Jaswant Singh Khalra is the story of a brave human rights defender who stood for truth despite enormous risks. Removing a film cannot erase history. Truth cannot be buried by censorship,” asserted Baltej Pannu.

The Aam Aadmi Party strongly condemned the removal of Satluj from the OTT platform and demanded that the film be restored immediately so that people, especially the younger generation, can learn about Punjab’s history without political censorship.