Himachal Pradesh Government Announces Major Push to Staff All Primary Health Centres with Doctors
In a significant development for healthcare in the hill state, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced that all primary health centres (PHCs) in Himachal Pradesh will be fully staffed with the required doctors within the next six months. This commitment was made during the ongoing budget session of the legislative assembly in Shimla on Thursday.
Recruitment Drive and Medical Infrastructure Overhaul
The state government has already recruited 162 medical professionals, and the interview process for an additional 236 medical officers is currently underway. Addressing the House during question hour, CM Sukhu detailed the government's comprehensive strategy to address the critical shortage of medical personnel across the state.
Beyond PHCs, the government is also tackling faculty shortages in medical colleges. Except for the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla and Tanda Medical College in Kangra, the other four government medical colleges in Himachal Pradesh currently have buildings and equipment but lack the necessary teaching faculty.
To resolve this, the state plans to:
- Fill over 100 posts of assistant professors in various medical colleges through a written test.
- Relax recruitment norms for assistant and associate professors to attract more candidates.
- Increase postgraduate medical seats by nearly 200 to boost the pipeline of future doctors.
The Chief Minister revealed that the government is investing approximately Rs 3,000 crore to equip various hospitals with state-of-the-art medical machinery. Furthermore, the administration plans to explore health tourism opportunities over the coming year to leverage this upgraded infrastructure.
Detailed Staffing and Training Statistics
Earlier in the session, Health and Family Welfare Minister Colonel Dhani Ram Shandil (retd) provided detailed figures in response to a question by Sundernagar MLA Rakesh Jamwal. He informed the House that annually, 870 MBBS students and 247 postgraduate trainees graduate from the state's medical colleges.
Regarding sanctioned positions:
- In the health department, 2,337 posts for doctors and 683 for specialist doctors have been approved.
- Under the department of medical education and research, 81 posts for MBBS doctors and 2,060 posts for MD/MS and DNB faculty members are sanctioned across government medical colleges and hospitals.
Other Key Assembly Discussions
The budget session also witnessed several other important discussions and announcements:
Clarity on FIRs Against Legislators: Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri raised a point of order, urging the Speaker to rule on whether FIRs can be filed against MLAs for protests within the legislative assembly premises. He cited a February 2021 incident where five Congress MLAs, including himself, faced an FIR for blocking the governor's exit during the previous BJP government's tenure.
Congress Leader's Arrest: Congress legislators Rakesh Kalia and Sudarshan Babloo raised concerns during zero hour about the recent arrest of party leader Anil Dadwal from Gagret by the Delhi Police. Dadwal was arrested following a social media post critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kalia noted that non-bailable sections were added to the FIR after an initial summons for a bailable offence, leading to Dadwal's detention in Tihar Jail. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania assured that the state government would take up the matter with the Delhi Police.
BJP Protests 'Mafia Raj': Before the session began, BJP legislators, led by Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, staged a protest within the assembly premises. They raised slogans alleging the prevalence of a 'mafia raj' in Himachal Pradesh, citing issues related to drugs, mining, forest resources, and the liquor trade.
Policy for Multi-Task Workers: The state government announced it will formulate a policy to regulate the service conditions of multi-task workers (MTWs) employed across various departments. Currently receiving a monthly remuneration of Rs 5,500, these workers' status was discussed following a question by BJP MLA Satpal Singh Satti, who urged for a salary enhancement. The CM acknowledged the presence of MTWs and outsourced employees and stated the government is considering the issue within the legal framework.
LPG Shortage Concerns: During zero hour, Lahaul Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana highlighted the shortage of LPG cylinders and its adverse impact on the tourism and hospitality sectors. She attributed the issue to ongoing international tensions and pointed out that the current refill schedule allows 25 days for urban areas and 45 days for rural areas. Rana emphasized that rural households often exhaust their cylinders within a month and urged for the refill period in rural areas to be aligned with urban areas through Central government intervention.
