MANDI (HP), Mar 1:
Union Minister for Health Ghulam Nabi Azad today said the Centre has doubled the budget allocation in health sector for Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
Addressing the gathering at Zonal Hospital campus after laying the foundation of Rs 17 crore 100-bedded Mother-Child Hospital here, he said “because of tough geographical topography of these hilly States the development works become difficult to carry out in stipulated working period.”
The Union Minister added that “as he himself belongs to Doda area of J&K, he better realises the problems being faced by hilly areas as the working period in comparison to other States is limited to only six to seven months.”
Mr Azad announced to set up two Trauma centers in the hospitals of the State besides a burn Centre at IGMC Shimla. “I wanted to see Himachal Pradesh emerging as a model State in every sphere of development and especially in health sector in next four years’ he said and added that as many as six health institutions equivalent to AIIMS have been developed in the country with super-specialised facilities like Oncology, Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Neurology Nephrology, Neurosurgery, Gastroenterology, Cardiology and Urology.
Earlier, the Minister inaugurated Rs 150 crore Super Speciality Hospital block at Doctor Rajender Prasad Government Medical College, (RPGMC), Tanda through video conferencing.
Mr Azad was to go to RPGMC alongwith Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and State Health Minister, but due to adverse weather condition the trio could not fly from here. He said a similar Super Specialty Hospital worth Rs 150 crore would be developed in Shimla.
“This will give relief to the people of the State who otherwise had to rush to PGIMER Chandigarh or AIIMS Delhi for specialised treatment,” the Union Minister added.
Mr Azad said from last two years the Centre has been contributing in 90:10 ratio for Himachal Pradesh in health sector under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), while the other States were getting assistance in 75:25 ratio.
He said two cancer institute’s would be set up in Shimla and Mandi, besides financial aid of Rs 190 crore each would be provided to set up Medical Colleges in backward and bordering districts of Chamba and Nahan.
Lauding the Chief Minister initiatives in overall development of the State, he said it was due to his farsightedness and dynamic leadership that the State was marching rapidly on the path of progress. Besides, former Union Communications Minister ‘Pandit Sukhram Ji, who hailed from Mandi, had brought revolution in Telecommunication sector and it was a matter of pride for all of us that Himachal was first such State in the country which excelled in Telecom sector where every village had telephone connectivity’, he said.
A revolution has been brought in health sector in the country from the past one decade and especially during the UPA regime, he claimed and said the Manmohan Singh Government focused on strengthening the basic infrastructure in health sector by opening more avenues in this sector.
As many as 18,000 hospitals were opened during 2004-09, while 35,000 such institutes were opened during his tenure, Mr Azad said, adding apart from this, the norms of Medical Council of India (MCI) and Nursing Council were amended so as to recruit more specialist doctors, MBBS doctors and Nurses including other paramedic staff.
Speaking on the occasion Mr Singh thanked the Union Minister for providing liberal assistance to the State for strengthening the health infrastructure and providing easy access to health facilities to the poor people nearer to their homes.
The Chief Minister said it was his dream coming true that RPGMC was being developed as a complete health township having all modern facilities and equipments.
‘I always wanted to see Tanda Medical Hospital and College to become a prestigious Health institute of the Country along-with IGMC Shimla, and I can foresee that my Dream Project was being transformed in reality’ he said.
The Chief Minister said with the starting of Super Specialty block at Tanda the people of adjoining districts of Kangra, Chamba, Mandi, Hamirpur and Una will get better treatment at an affordable rates.
He said development of health sector is the Government’s top priority and to achieve this objective, Rs 1,050 crore has been earmarked in the present budget for this sector.
The Chief Minister also said steps were being taken to decongest IGMC premises and a new campus was proposed to be set up at Ghannatti in Shimla to house Dental and Nursing Colleges with an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore.
Mr Singh said Kamla Nehru Hospital, Shimla would also be developed as a full-fledged Mother-Child hospital having all tertiary level services for mother and child. This would be second such hospital in the State alongwith the one at Mandi, the foundation stone of which has been laid today, he said.
Earlier, Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said the people of the State would thank Mr Azad for his special interest and assistance to the State. He said Rs 45 crore each, would be spent to establish two Cancer Hospitals at Mandi and Shimla.
Transport Minister G S Bali while interacting with the Union Minister and the Chief Minister through Video-conferencing thanked them for dedicating Super-Specialty Hospital at Tanda and requested to visit Kangra district on March 8 when AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be addressing the people of the State at Dharamshala. (UNI)
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