Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that the State Government will revolutionize the healthcare sector with an estimated capital expenditure of Rs. 1570 crore to be spent on the procurement of state-of-art medical equipment and machineries to benefit the people of the State.

In a statement, he said that annually 9.50 lakh patients are travelling out of the State for diagnostic and treatment resulting in a loss of Rs. 1350 crore of GDP per year. "This is a serious concern and the present State Government is prioritizing strengthening healthcare infrastructure in the State to save the valuable money and time of the thousands of patients, " he added.

Sukhu said that medical colleges are being upgraded with the facility of robotic surgery in Neurology, Oncology, orthopedics and other departments as this will reduce the workload of the doctors and would also benefit the patients receiving treatments. He said that the process for installing modern PET Scan and MRI machines in IGMC, Shimla and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, district Kangra is underway and this would be dedicated shortly.

He said that a Cancer Care Centre of Excellence would also be set up in Dr. Radhakrishnan Government Medical College, Hamirpur with ultramodern facilities with an estimated cost of Rs. 300 crore, adding that this facility would have State's first cyclotron machine along with the facility of radiation and nuclear medicine therapy. He said that this centre would have 150 dedicated beds for the cancer patients.

 Sukhu also directed to upgrade and strengthen the 69 healthcare facilities with enhanced level of care in the State by adding specialty beds and diagnostic capabilities in these hospitals. These health facilities will also be strengthened for secondary care, emergency services, equipment abilities and facility safety measures including fire fighting infrastructure and improvement in internal mobility etc. He said that special focus would be laid to establish in-house laboratories for enhancement of diagnostic and treatment facilities at Zonal Hospitals, Regional Hospitals, District Hospitals and Community Health Centres.  He said that modular operation theatres would be established in Zonal Hospitals and Civil Hospitals under this plan. He said that these measures would go a long way in preventing the migration of patients to other States for diagnostic and treatments while boosting medical tourism in the State.

The Chief Minister instructed the officers to accelerate the process of upgrading the healthcare facilities in the State and said that there is no dearth of money for this and the State Government would provide additional funding if required. 

Exercise for revision of BPL families list from April next year: CM 


Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday presided over a review meeting of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department and said the exercise for revision of the list of below poverty line (BPL) families will commence in the state in April next year.

During the meeting, he directed the officers to ensure that only genuine families appear in the BPL list and to formulate a new criteria in this regard. Sukhu instructed the department to formulate this criteria before January 5, 2025 followed by the Cabinet's approval.

"The new guidelines will be shared with the general public in the Gram Sabha scheduled in January 2025," he said. The chief minister also directed to constitute a two-member committee at the sub-divisional level comprising the SDM and BDO to verify the lists of the BPL families recommended by the Gram Sabha to ensure transparency.

Sukhu emphasized on a robust mechanism to identify the deserving BPL families so that they are not deprived of the benefits and said the state government is considering revision of the annual income for selecting BPL families.

The chief minister said any objections against the final BPL families' list can be submitted to the respective deputy commissioner and divisional commissioner, who will have the authority to review and address these grievances. "A comprehensive website will also be launched for showcasing and home delivery of various products prepared by Women Self Help Groups, thereby strengthening the economy of the womenfolk," he added.