Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Saturday said the State intends to develop as a health hub, where the best of healthcare facilities will be available to the people of the State and country.
Singh was speaking after laying the foundation stone of the 100-bed mother & child wing at the Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH). He said Rs 70 crore would be spent on construction of this six storied building, which would have all modern healthcare facilities. The Chief Minister said that Kamla Nehru Hospital was being upgraded to a full-fledged State-level mother and childcare unit and would remain attached to the Indira Gandhi Medical College & Hospital (IGMC) for medical education.
He said that during his previous tenure a building was constructed at KNH and presently this building has capacity of 174 beds. He said that the new building would be constructed after dismantling the old building. The Chief Minister said that the new building would have the facilities like central heating, post operative surgical beds & special wards, main & minor operation theatres, labour rooms and post labour rooms, pre and after natal care wards etc. He directed the Public Works Department to ensure quality and standard work and complete this building within a year.
He said that apart from government sector best reputed health institutions like Forties and Vedenta would be provided all facilities, if they want to establish their health institutions in the state. Singh said state government had accorded top most priority to the health sector and efforts were being done to provide best health care facilities to the people not only in urban areas but also in remote and rural areas. 100 posts of doctors were being filled during current fiscal while 100 doctors would be posted next year, he added.
He said that sincere efforts were being made to develop IGMC as a premier health institution of the state. He said that new OPD and Administrative Block buildings were being constructed at IGMC Shimla with a cost of Rs 66 crores. On completion, it would provide best health care facilities to the people visiting IGMC and the outpatient department need not to go the old hospital buildings and would have the entry facilities from both Cart road through lift and other from lower road from lakkar Bazar, he informed .
Chief Minister said that with a view to de-congest IGMC and provide more space to the patients and students, Dental and Nursing Colleges would be shifted near Ghanahatti where a new complex of 100 bedded hospital would be constructed at a cost of Rs 150 crore. He said that there would be no paucity of funds for creating and developing best health infrastructure in the state. Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said that he had recently taken up the matter of increasing MBBS seats in IGMC Shimla from 100 to 150 with union health minister Ghulam Navi Azad as it was more than 50 years old hospital.