Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday inaugurated an MRI machine worth ₹23 crore and a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre equipped with linear accelerator (LINAC) and CT simulator machines, costing ₹ 2 crore, at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital, Nerchowk, in Mandi district.
He also laid the foundation stone for a PET scan machine block at the medical college, with an estimated cost of ₹51 crore.
Later, while interacting with faculty members and students of the medical college CM said that strengthening the health sector was among the priorities of the state government.
Sukhu said that state-of-the-art automated laboratories were being established in all medical colleges across the state. “These laboratories would enable multiple tests to be conducted using a single sample, eliminating the need for patients to repeatedly provide samples and making the diagnostic process more convenient and efficient,” he said.
He said that the state government installed a PET scan machine at Indira Gandhi Medical College & Hospital (IGMC) Shimla. He said that the current waiting period for a PET scan at IGMC was around one month, whereas patients had to wait for approximately four months for the procedure at AIIMS Delhi.
CM said that the government was considering sending MBBS students and faculty members from the state’s medical colleges on overseas exposure visits to familiarise them with modern healthcare practices and advanced medical procedures being adopted internationally. He said that necessary steps in this direction would be taken soon, providing students and doctors with an opportunity to understand international healthcare systems and technologies.
{{/usCountry}}CM said that the government was considering sending MBBS students and faculty members from the state’s medical colleges on overseas exposure visits to familiarise them with modern healthcare practices and advanced medical procedures being adopted internationally. He said that necessary steps in this direction would be taken soon, providing students and doctors with an opportunity to understand international healthcare systems and technologies.
{{/usCountry}}Referring to the healthcare services at Nerchowk Medical College, CM said that 123 nurses had already been deployed at the institution, while additional nurses would be recruited as required. He also announced plans to increase the capacity of the medical college’s intensive care unit (ICU). He said that 25 to 30 additional ICU beds would be established, increasing the institution’s capacity to treat critically ill patients.
Sukhu said that the state government would increase the number of postgraduate (PG) seats in the state by 320 this year. He said that Senior Residency (SR) programmes had been started at Nerchowk Medical College, along with Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda. This would help increase the availability of specialist doctors in the state and create new opportunities in the field of medical education.