Rs 1,800 crore to be spent on medical equipment in Himachal Pradesh
The obsolete and outdated medical equipment in use for the last four decades at various health institutions will be replaced with state-of-the-art equipment at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore.
Considering the challenges being faced by patients due to old medical machinery, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed replacement of the equipment to provide better healthcare facilities, which the previous governments failed to do. In line with these directives, the health department has prepared a project report to offer world-class healthcare services in government healthcare institutions.
The obsolete medical machinery and equipment will soon be replaced with new healthcare facilities as the state government has allocated approximately Rs 1,800 crore for this purpose. “Delays in treatment often worsen a patient’s condition and increase their medical expenses. Studies indicate that late diagnosis can raise medical costs by 30 to 50 per cent for a patient,” said a healthcare government official.
According to the data released by the health department, 9.5 lakh patients travel outside Himachal Pradesh annually for treatment, resulting in an economic loss of Rs 1,350 crore to the state’s GDP. If quality healthcare services are made available within the state, it is estimated that Rs 550 crore of the state GDP could be saved annually, along with valuable time for patients. The Chief Minister has instructed the health department to ensure that patients receive high-quality treatment within the state and to implement the plan in a time-bound manner.
