Corporation for purchase of medicines, equipment soon
Pratibha Chauhan
Shimla, March 29
The Himachal Government will set up a Medical Corporation to bring transparency in the purchase of medical equipment and medicines.
This was stated by Health and Family Welfare Minister Dhani Ram Shandil while replying to the cut motion on the Health Department in the Vidhan Sabha today. “The setting up of the Medical Corporation will bring efficiency and transparency in the purchase of medical equipment and medicines,” he stated.
House passes Rs 56,683-cr proposals
- The House on Wednesday passed the Rs 56,683.59-cr Budget proposals for 2023-24 presented by the CM on March 17
- The CM presented the HP Appropriation Bill, 2023, which after a three-day debate, was passed through voice vote
- The Bill authorises the govt to make expenditure on various development works as listed in the Budget for various depts
The cut motion was rejected by voice vote as the Opposition refused to withdraw it.
Shandil said an air ambulance had become the need of the hour and the government proposed to link every medical college with this facility. “Critical care and presence of sophisticated and latest medical technology is necessary for providing quality health care to the people,” he added.
Shandil said the setting up of the corporation would also help in rooting out corruption in the purchase of medical equipment and medicines.
“The government has decided to take a relook on the issue of closure of health institutions, which have been denotified. A decision on issuing a fresh notification to make them functional will be taken as on need basis,” the minister stated as Opposition members insisted that the government clarify its stand on denotification of health institutions opened by the BJP regime. The 108 Ambulance services would continue to function as in the past, he added.
Shandil also said a model health centre would be set up in each of the 68 segments so that people could get quality healthcare close to their homes. “The Congress regime has made greater budgetary provision for the Himcare
and Ayush Bharat schemes than the previous BJP regime,” he stated. He added that the Centre was yet to release a sum of Rs 54.76 crore that was due to HP under the Ayush Bharat scheme.
He refuted BJP allegations of discrimination with Kangra in development works and assured that a radiographer would be posted at the Kangra regional hospital shortly.
Participating in the debate on the Health Department, BJP MLA from Sundernagar Rakesh Jamwal accused the government of pushing the Himcare scheme to the back burner as patients were not getting treatment under this scheme. He also demanded the appointment of a radiologist in Sundernagar hospital as the ultrasound machine bought 10 years ago was lying unutilised.
Nachan MLA Vinod Kumar alleged that even the bigger health institutions where a large number of patients were availing treatment were being denotified. Paonta Sahib MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary said though the government had not discontinued the Himcare scheme people were not getting money for treatment under it.
