Primary healthcare needs sharp focus
The G20 summit hosted in New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was certainly an opportune moment to deliberate upon…
Himachal Pradesh government is mulling to collaborate with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to strengthen the health sector in the state.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said: “The state government is committed to providing world-class healthcare facilities to the people of the State at their doorstep particularly in the
tribal and far flung areas.”
tribal and far flung areas.”
“Our goal is to introduce modern technology in the health sector, and there will be no shortage of funds for this vital sector,” he said. The health institutions will be equipped with staff and essential equipment so that people can get proper medical care.
The Health Department is on the job to prepare a preliminary project report to be discussed in detail with JICA. With the state government laying special emphasis to the health sector, adequate funds will be provided for upgrading and creating modern health infrastructure in the state, said an official spokesperson.
As a step forward the government is considering collaborating with JICA for financial assistance for enhancing health infrastructure across various health institutions with a proposed financial outlay of Rs 2835 crore, he disclosed.
He said that the Chief Minister has placed the health sector amongst one of its flagship programmes and is prioritizing strengthening the healthcare facilities so as to extend the best medical services to its citizens.
“The state government intends to allocate Rs 1620 crore of this funding towards tertiary care infrastructure, including the strengthening of new medical colleges in Hamirpur, Chamba and Nahan with an expected financial outlay of Rs 1010 crore,” he said.
Additionally, Rs 400 crore will be spent on developing adequate health infrastructure for providing super-speciality services, with respect to Cancer disease, in Medical College Hamirpur, he added.
The government is also seeking Rs 60 crore additional funds from JICA for nursing educational infrastructure and high-end diagnostic capacity in the new medical colleges, said the spokesperson.
It is proposed to allocate Rs 1215 crore of JICA funding in order to enhance secondary care infrastructure, which includes Rs 988 crore for infrastructure and equipment like CT scan services in selected secondary care facilities of civil hospital per medical block.
Besides, Rs 135 crore is proposed for need-based strengthening of secondary care facilities, and Rs 92 crore for repair and maintenance, strengthening diagnostics, power backup, and Hospital Management Information System (MIS) of the remaining civil hospitals and
community health centers, he added.
community health centers, he added.
The state government also plans to introduce 5G technologies in state health institutions for enhanced digital connectivity which will facilitate the doctors and the patients for online consultations as well.
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