Shimla: The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh will provide non-practicing allowance (NPA) to super-speciality doctors in a bid to strengthen healthcare services across the state. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu made this announcement during a review meeting of the health department on Thursday evening.
No shortage of funds for health sector
Asserting that there is no shortage of funds for the modernisation of the health sector, Sukhu noted that several initiatives launched over the past three-and-a-half years to improve healthcare infrastructure and services have begun showing encouraging results. The chief minister said the government has held multiple rounds of discussions with doctors on healthcare reforms.
Personal visits to health institutions
Sukhu added that he would personally visit health institutions across the state to interact with medical professionals and prepare a roadmap for further improvements. He emphasised that all government medical colleges are being strengthened through the deployment of adequate staff and installation of advanced medical equipment comparable to facilities available at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Investment in modern machinery
The chief minister said around Rs 3,000 crore is being invested in procuring modern medical machinery and equipment. In districts without medical colleges, facilities at zonal and regional hospitals are also being upgraded. Sukhu said vacancies of doctors, paramedical staff and technicians are being filled.
Classification of community health centres
He also directed the health department to classify community health centres according to population coverage to ensure appropriate staffing, infrastructure and improved healthcare access closer to people's homes. This step aims to decentralise healthcare services and make quality medical care available in rural and remote areas.
