Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday presided over the IRIS-2025 programme at Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College, Nerchowk, Mandi.
He announced that robotic surgery would begin at the college later this year, further strengthening advanced healthcare facilities in the state. The Chief Minister sanctioned Rs 28 crore for installing an MRI machine at Nerchowk, which will be operational within two months.
He said robotic surgery had already started at Chamiyana and RPGMC Tanda, where 45 surgeries have been successfully performed using the technology. Himachali doctors are highly skilled, but outdated equipment often limits their efficiency, he added.
The government is therefore replacing obsolete machinery with modern systems to ensure high-quality healthcare delivery.
Sukhu also announced Rs 12 crore for setting up a Cath lab at Nerchowk, of which Rs 9 crore has already been released.
He said all medical colleges in Himachal Pradesh would soon have smart diagnostic laboratories modeled on AIIMS, New Delhi, capable of conducting 100 tests from a single blood sample. The government has sanctioned Rs 75 crore for this initiative.
To address the shortage of skilled technicians in the health sector, the government has increased the number of seats in medical colleges and sanctioned 38 new posts in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
The Chief Minister reiterated his commitment to modernizing health infrastructure and ensuring that people of Himachal need not travel outside the state for advanced treatment.
Sukhu said the previous BJP government had mismanaged the state’s finances, leading to poor healthcare infrastructure.
“Had the funds been used prudently, our health services would have been far better today,” he said.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of five projects of Rs 8.37 crore in Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital, Nerchowk, in Mandi district during his one-day tour. He also laid the foundation stone of the students’ hostel to be constructed for Rs 5.98 crore.
He also inaugurated the Rs 80-lakh State Midwifery Training Institute and Skill Lab, the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre completed at a cost of Rs 6 lakh, the Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre completed with an outlay of Rs 76 lakh, and the Rs 23-lakh Endoscopy Unit at the Medical College.