Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, during his visit to Chamba on August 2, met with faculty members and students of Chamba Medical College to discuss measures for enhancing healthcare services in the region.
He stated that the State Government would relax norms where necessary to strengthen the college faculty. The Chief Minister announced that the institution would be equipped with a new X-ray machine, laparoscopic equipment, a CT scan machine, and a 3-Tesla MRI machine with advanced technology, modelled on the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
Mr Sukhu directed the prompt submission of a proposal to establish 20 ICU beds at the medical college to enable swift government action. He added that once the faculty strength was bolstered, the government would consider introducing robotic surgery facilities at the college.
Furthermore, he announced the deployment of 40 staff nurses within the next 10 days and the appointment of radiographers and other technical staff to ensure the efficient delivery of healthcare services.
The Chief Minister also noted that the State Government was exploring the possibility of sending doctors on exposure visits abroad and was in the process of developing a policy to facilitate such initiatives. “Such visits would enable doctors to learn advanced medical practices and technologies from other countries and bring back the best practices to Himachal Pradesh,” he said.
Emphasising that improving healthcare infrastructure remained a key priority, Mr Sukhu revealed that approximately Rs. 3,000 crore was being invested in healthcare infrastructure development. He said that enhanced healthcare facilities would benefit the people of Himachal Pradesh and promote health tourism in the state.
Earlier, he held similar interactions with faculty and students at IGMC Shimla, Dr YS Parmar Government Medical College Nahan, AIMSS Chamiyana, Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College Tanda, and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College Nerchowk. The suggestions from these sessions were being incorporated into the State Government’s policy-making process, he added.
Mr Sukhu stated that concerted efforts aimed at addressing existing shortcomings were underway with the objective of ensuring improved healthcare facilities in all state medical colleges by the end of this year.
He also reported that a Cardiology Department had already been established at Chamba Medical College and that 23 posts of Senior Residents and 28 posts for Post-Graduates had been sanctioned to further strengthen healthcare services at the institution.
A sum of Rs 18.98 crore has been released for constructing the Senior Residents hostel at Chamba, he said. Additionally, the government had enhanced the stipends of Post-Graduates and Senior Residents and separated the cadres of the Directorate of Health Services and the Directorate of Medical Education and Research.
The event was attended by Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, MLAs Neeraj Nayar, Hardeep Singh Bawa and DS Thakur, former minister Asha Kumari, APMC Chamba Chairman Lalit Thakur, Congress leaders Yashwant Khanna and district Congress president Surjit Bharmouri, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repswal, SP Vijay Kumar Saklani, College Principal Dr Pankaj Gupta, and other dignitaries.
