Himachal govt to spend Rs 3,000 crore to boost healthcare sector: CM Sukhu

Shimla, Jan 18 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state government would spend Rs 3,000 crore over the next three years to strengthen healthcare delivery.

Addressing the State-Level Health Dialogue Session held at Shimla on Saturday evening, Sukhu said the government would spend Rs 1,300 crore under JICA Phase-II to upgrade the healthcare infrastructure.

"Nearly Rs 3,000 crore will be invested over the next three years to equip health institutions with world-class medical technology," he said.

Emphasising that strong health administration is the backbone of quality healthcare, Sukhu announced decentralisation of administrative and financial powers. "Chief medical officers (CMO), block medical officers (BMO) and medical superintendents (MS) will be vested with enhanced financial authority, while necessary amendments will be introduced in the financial rules to make procedures simpler, faster and more effective," he said.

The chief minister said financial and decision-making powers related to sanitation arrangements in health institutions would be delegated to the concerned CMO.

"Dedicated funds will also be created for the CMO and MS to meet urgent and essential hospital requirements," he added.

Sukhu also announced that the state government would consider increasing the salary of trainee doctors, adding that recruitment of 236 doctors is underway and 150 additional posts have already been sanctioned. "To ensure complete transparency, marks obtained in both written examinations and interviews would be included in the final merit list," he said.

He said model health institutions are being developed across the state to further upgrade the healthcare ecosystem. "These institutions will be equipped with globally benchmarked high-end technology. Medical equipment older than 15 years will be replaced, significantly improving patient care and reducing the workload on doctors," Sukhu said, adding that operation theatre facilities will be ensured in every model health institution.

He further announced that security arrangements in all health institutions would be strengthened through the Ex-Servicemen Corporation.

"Rationalisation of primary health centres and delivery points would be carried out on the basis of clearly defined parameters to improve efficiency and accessibility," he said.

The chief minister directed that construction works of health institution buildings which are currently above 60 per cent completion, must be finished by March 31, 2026. Highlighting quality standards, he said all medical equipment would be procured strictly as per AIIMS specifications. PTI COR ARB ARB