Lays foundation stone for Rs. 51 crore PET Scan Block
· Strengthening health sector a priority of state government: CM
· CM interacts with faculty and students of Nerchowk Medical College, ICU Capacity to be increased to 30 beds
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated an MRI machine worth Rs. 23 crore and a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre equipped with LINAC and CT Simulator machines, costing Rs. 2.29 crore, at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital, Nerchowk, in Mandi district. He also laid the foundation stone for a PET Scan Machine Block at the medical college, with an estimated cost of Rs. 51 crore.
Later, while interacting with faculty members and students of the medical college the Chief Minister said that strengthening the health sector was among the priorities of the state government. The government was working to ensure that all medical colleges in the state were equipped with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, enabling people to access specialized medical services closer to home without having to travel long distances for treatment.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that state-of-the-art automated laboratories were being established in all medical colleges across the state. These laboratories would enable multiple tests to be conducted using a single sample, eliminating the need for patients to repeatedly provide samples and making the diagnostic process more convenient and efficient. He said that, alongside promoting the use of modern technology in healthcare, the government was continuously strengthening the infrastructure and medical services at medical colleges. He said that the state government had installed a PET Scan machine at IGMC Shimla. He said that the current waiting period for a PET Scan at IGMC was around one month, whereas patients had to wait for approximately four months for the procedure at AIIMS Delhi.
The Chief Minister said that the government was considering sending MBBS students and faculty members from the state’s medical colleges on overseas exposure visits to familiarize them with modern healthcare practices and advanced medical procedures being adopted internationally. He said that necessary steps in this direction would be taken soon, providing students and doctors with an opportunity to understand international healthcare systems and technologies. He said the government was also working to strengthen at least two or three major medical departments in each medical college on a priority basis. The objective was to enhance the capacity for specialized healthcare services in the state and ensure that an increasing number of treatment facilities were available to patients within Himachal Pradesh.
Referring to the healthcare services at Nerchowk Medical College, the Chief Minister said that 123 nurses had already been deployed at the institution, while additional nurses would be recruited as required. He also announced plans to increase the capacity of the medical college’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He said that 25 to 30 additional ICU beds would be established, increasing the institution’s capacity to treat critically ill patients.
Sh. Sukhu said that the state government would increase the number of postgraduate (PG) seats in the state by 320 this year. He said that Senior Residency (SR) programmes had been started at Nerchowk Medical College, along with Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda. This would help increase the availability of specialist doctors in the state and create new opportunities in the field of medical education.
He said that ensuring adequate technical and paramedical staff at healthcare institutions was also a priority of the government. In this direction, the state government had sanctioned 800 posts for technical and paramedical staff. He said that the government was continuously working to provide the necessary human resources and modern technology to improve healthcare services.
The Chief Minister said that the state government’s objective was not merely to expand healthcare institutions, but to equip them with modern technology, adequate specialist doctors, trained staff and improved diagnostic facilities, so that the people of Himachal Pradesh could access quality healthcare services within the state itself.
