Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 17: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday directed officials to expedite the procurement and installation of advanced medical equipment and machinery worth around Rs 300 crore for health institutions across the state.
Sukhu issued the directions while presiding over a meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Services Corporation Limited (HPSMCL) in Shimla. He directed officials to complete the procurement process in a time-bound and transparent manner so that people can access the upgraded medical facilities at the earliest. The Chief Minister also directed that automated laboratory systems be established in medical colleges by the end of this year to strengthen diagnostic services.
He said that several major equipment and infrastructure projects have already been put to tender. These include a Rs 75 crore track-based integrated total lab automation system for medical colleges and PET scan machines worth Rs 50 crore for Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College, Nerchowk, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda.
Tenders have also been floated for high-end echocardiography machines worth Rs 2 crore for AIMSS, Chamiana. Other projects include 13 full digital radiography machines, mammography equipment and other medical equipment for Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College, Chamba.
The procurement plan also includes a Rs 3 crore blood component separator unit for Dr Radhakrishnan Government Medical College, Hamirpur, and Rs 5 crore worth of 4K laparoscopic surgery sets and electrosurgical stations for IGMC, Shimla.
In addition, ECG machines worth Rs 36 lakh, equipment worth Rs 13 crore for block public health units, and machinery and equipment worth Rs 15 crore under Adarsh Swasthya Sansthans are part of the procurement plans. The government has also earmarked Rs 100 crore for medicines and drugs for various health institutions and Rs 30 crore for medical consumables and surgical items.
The Chief Minister said a second phase of procurement would involve tenders worth around Rs 83 crore for additional medical equipment and machinery. The second phase will include Rs 1.60 crore for mannequins and equipment to establish a skill lab at Chamba medical college and Rs 30 crore for Biplane DSA machines at AIMSS, Chamiana and Tanda medical college. Another Rs 10 crore has been assigned for establishing Bone Marrow Transplant and Apheresis Units at AIMSS, Chamiana, Mandi medical college, IGMC Shimla, Tanda medical college and Hamirpur medical college.
The government also plans to spend Rs 3 crore on machinery and equipment for robotic surgery and establishment of a gynaecology unit under the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Kamla Nehru Hospital/IGMC, Shimla. Another Rs 3 crore will be allocated for anaesthetic equipment for robotic surgery at IGMC, while Rs 3 crore will be spent on equipment for the Radiology and Orthopaedic Surgery departments.
The second phase further includes Rs 1 crore for a Cholangioscope and Electro-Hydraulic Lithotripsy system for the Gastroenterology Department at AIMSS, Chamiana, and Rs 1.33 crore for machinery and equipment at Chamba Medical College.
The government has also proposed Rs 20 crore for 256-slice CT scan machines for five institutions under the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Rs 6 crore for 4D colour Doppler ultrasound machines for eight institutions and Rs 3.75 crore for high-end digital X-ray machines for five institutions under the Directorate.
Sukhu directed officials to closely monitor the procurement process and ensure that procedures are completed without unnecessary delays. He stressed that the process must remain transparent, competitive and strictly time-bound.
The Chief Minister said strengthening the health sector remains a priority of the state government. He emphasised the need to equip medical colleges, district hospitals, civil hospitals, community health centres and other institutions with modern diagnostic and treatment facilities.
He said the government was committed to providing accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to the people of Himachal Pradesh. According to him, modernising health infrastructure and making advanced facilities available in government institutions would improve treatment and reduce the need for patients to travel outside their districts or the state for specialised healthcare.
Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, Principal Secretaries Devesh Kumar and M. Sudha Devi, Secretary Ashish Singhmar, Director of Health Services Dr Gopal Berry and other senior officers attended the meeting.