Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 20 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday virtually inaugurated the Blood Component Separation Unit at the District Hospital in Champawat, describing the facility as an important step towards strengthening healthcare services in the district.
The unit has been established at an estimated cost of Rs 50 lakh and is the first facility of its kind at a district hospital in Champawat.
Addressing the programme virtually, Dhami said strengthening healthcare infrastructure remains one of the state government's key priorities and that efforts are being made to fulfil the government's resolve to develop Champawat as an ideal district.
Dhami said the new facility would enable patients to receive essential blood components locally during emergencies, reducing dependence on hospitals in other districts.
He said Champawat was not merely an Assembly constituency for him but his "karmabhoomi", and that improving public services and infrastructure in the district remained a priority.
Among district hospitals in the Kumaon division, such facilities were earlier available only in Rudrapur and Pithoragarh, according to the state government.
The Chief Minister also highlighted other healthcare infrastructure being developed at the Champawat District Hospital. A 50-bed Critical Care Block, constructed at a cost of around Rs 20 crore, has been established, while facilities including CT scan, MRI and a dialysis unit have also been made available.
Construction work worth approximately Rs 11.71 crore is additionally underway at the hospital. The project includes parking on the lower ground floor and a diagnostic wing and operation theatres on the first and second floors.
Dhami said the government was simultaneously working on improving Champawat's wider infrastructure, including roads, parking, drainage, electricity and drinking water facilities.
He said several motor roads in the district were being constructed or widened, while modern parking infrastructure was being developed to address traffic congestion.
A multi-storey parking and shopping complex at the Champawat Roadways Station, estimated to cost more than Rs 62 crore, is also expected to begin soon.
Parking facilities have also been developed at important locations including Maa Purnagiri Dham, Reetha Sahib and the Tourist Rest House, he said.
The Chief Minister further said a modern city drainage system was being developed in Champawat at a cost of more than Rs 66 crore, while work on underground power lines was progressing.
The district's drinking water infrastructure is also being strengthened through projects worth more than Rs 240 crore, according to Dhami.
He said projects such as a Science Centre, Women's Sports College and modern ISBT would further contribute to Champawat's development and create new opportunities for residents and the youth.
Dhami said the government was working to develop Champawat as a model district in areas including healthcare, education, tourism and infrastructure.
He added that the government would leave no stone unturned in fulfilling its development vision for the district and would focus particularly on connecting villages with the mainstream of development and creating greater employment opportunities for young people.
Uttarakhand Health Minister Subodh Uniyal said the government was working to make healthcare services across the state more modern, accessible and people-centric.
He said the new Blood Component Separation Unit would allow patients in Champawat to access vital blood components during critical and emergency situations without having to travel to hospitals outside the district.
The facility is expected to improve the speed of emergency treatment and strengthen the district's capacity to respond to patients requiring urgent blood-component support. (ANI)
Uttarakhand CM inaugurates Champawat's first blood component separation unit
