Shimla: Presiding over a high-level meeting of the Health Education and Health Department here today, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the State Government would formulate a comprehensive ‘Senior Residency Policy’ for all medical colleges in Himachal Pradesh. The policy will focus on rationalisation of senior resident posts to ensure optimal utilization of human resources in medical institutions.
The Chief Minister stated that the quota for General Duty Officers (GDOs) in senior residency would be enhanced to 66 percent, as against the existing 50:50 ratio between GDOs and direct recruitment.
He further informed that MD and MS programmes in additional disciplines will be introduced in the medical colleges at Chamba, Nahan, Hamirpur and Nerchowk, which will significantly strengthen the state’s healthcare infrastructure and academic capacity.
The Chief Minister said that Doctorate of Medicine (DM) and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) super-specialists would be appointed in medical colleges to augment specialized healthcare services. He also announced that state-of-the-art ICUs equipped with advanced medical technology will be established in all medical colleges.
To enhance patient facilitation and service delivery, the State Government will appoint 1,000 Patient Care Assistants (Rogi Mitras) i.e. 500 in medical colleges and 500 in other health institutions. A pilot project will be launched from Hamirpur district, for which a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has already been prepared. In the initial phase, Rogi Mitras will be deployed at Primary Health Centres, said Sukhu.
Additionally, Rogi Mitras will also be deployed on a pilot basis to assist patients above 70 years of age at Chamiyana Hospital, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College Tanda and Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Shimla. Dedicated Rogi Mitra counters will also be established in these institutions, remarked the Chief Minister.
Data Entry Operators will be deployed in various OPDs of medical colleges to ensure systematic recording and management of patient-related data. Emphasizing the State Government’s commitment to healthcare excellence, the Chief Minister said that innovative measures along with long-term strategic planning were being implemented to strengthen health education and services, with the objective of making Himachal Pradesh one of the leading states in the country in the healthcare sector.
Chief Minister Principal Advisor, IT, Innovation and Digital technology, Secretary Health Priyanka Basu Ingty, Special Secretary Health Ashwani Sharma and Jitender Sanjta, Director Health Education Dr. Rakesh Sharma and Dr. Gopal Beri, other senior of both the departments were present in the meeting.
