Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 18 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday said his government was strengthening medical colleges, expanding postgraduate medical education and upgrading diagnostic facilities to improve healthcare within the state and reduce the need for patients to travel outside Himachal Pradesh for treatment.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating two extension buildings of the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat in Shimla, Sukhu said: “The government was working to develop at least two to three medical colleges into advanced healthcare institutions capable of providing high-quality treatment to the people of the state.”
“The initiative was aimed at addressing the substantial expenditure incurred by Himachal residents who travel outside the state for medical treatment, with the government seeking to reduce the outflow of around Rs 1,000 crore,” he added.
The Chief Minister said strengthening medical college infrastructure, upgrading technology and filling vacant posts were essential to improving healthcare services.
He said that when his government assumed office, medical colleges in the state were functioning with only around 35 per cent of their required doctors and paramedical personnel.
“We found that medical colleges were functioning with only 35 per cent of the doctors required. Where 100 doctors should have been working, only around 35 were available,” Sukhu said.
He said the government had undertaken a review of staffing and infrastructure requirements and was working to improve the availability of doctors and other healthcare personnel.
"The government had also expanded postgraduate medical education opportunities, with the number of PG seats in Himachal Pradesh increasing from 257 to 597. 320 additional postgraduate seats had been approved across the state's medical colleges, marking a substantial expansion in specialist medical training,” Sukhu added.
The Chief Minister cited increases in PG seats at several institutions, including around 139 at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, 57 at Nerchowk Medical College, 55 at Hamirpur Medical College, 38 at Nahan Medical College and 32 at Chamba Medical College.
He said the expansion would enable more MBBS graduates to pursue MD and MS courses and subsequently provide specialist services in hospitals across the state.
Sukhu, however, said medical colleges at Nahan and Chamba still required further infrastructure development to function at their full potential.
The Chief Minister said, ”The government was also upgrading diagnostic facilities, including radiology departments, CT scanners, MRI machines and X-ray equipment. Older machines at IGMC Shimla, including equipment that had been in use for nearly 19 years, were being replaced as part of the modernisation drive.”
According to Sukhu, advanced diagnostic machines had been installed at IGMC's Chamiyana facility, Nerchowk, Hamirpur and Tanda medical colleges.
He claimed that some of the newly installed machines were of better quality than those available at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.
Referring to waiting periods for diagnostic procedures, Sukhu said patients at AIIMS Delhi could face a waiting period of around two months for an MRI, while Himachal Pradesh was working towards eliminating waiting periods for such investigations.
He said the government had recruited radiographers and provided around 10 radiographers to each medical college. Recruitment of additional operation theatre personnel had also been undertaken, he said.
Sukhu said, ”Staffing levels had improved from around 35 per cent to nearly 70 per cent, and the government aimed to raise the availability of doctors and staff to 80–85 per cent within the next year.”
The Chief Minister also announced a decision concerning senior residency (SR) appointments for doctors completing postgraduate medical courses.
He said Himachal Pradesh candidates who had cleared the relevant selection test for senior residency at PGI Chandigarh or AIIMS Delhi would not be required to take another test in the state for the same purpose.
The decision, he said, would facilitate the recruitment of Himachal-trained doctors into senior residency positions in the state and help strengthen specialist healthcare services.
Sukhu said the broader objective was to ensure that residents of Himachal Pradesh could access quality medical treatment within the state rather than having to travel elsewhere. (ANI)
Himachal CM Sukhu says medical college expansion to improve healthcare, reduce out-of-state treatment
