Mandi, Oct 15: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday announced that robotic surgery will commence at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital in Ner Chowk, Mandi, later this year.
Presiding over the IRIS-2025 programme at the institution, the Chief Minister said Rs 28 crore had been sanctioned for installing a new MRI machine, expected to be operational within two months, and Rs 12 crore for setting up a Cath Lab, of which Rs 9 crore has already been released.
Sukhu said robotic surgeries were already being successfully performed at Chamiyana and Tanda medical colleges, with 45 such procedures completed so far. “Modern technology is crucial for improving patient care, and we are committed to upgrading all outdated medical equipment across Himachal’s hospitals,” he said.
To modernise diagnostic services, the CM announced the establishment of AIIMS-like smart diagnostic laboratories in all state medical colleges. “These labs will be capable of conducting up to 100 tests from a single blood sample,” he said, adding that Rs 75 crore has been sanctioned for the initiative.
Highlighting the government’s efforts to strengthen healthcare manpower, Sukhu said 38 new posts had been created in the Department of Emergency Medicine and that the number of medical seats had been increased.
He accused the previous BJP government of “misusing state funds” and said the healthcare sector had suffered as a result. “Had the funds been used wisely, Himachal’s medical services would have been far better today,” he remarked.
In the education sector, Sukhu said the state had moved from the 21st to the 5th rank in national education performance, crediting teachers for the improvement. He said Rajiv Gandhi day-boarding schools were being set up in every constituency, with English-medium instruction from Class I and 100 new CBSE-affiliated government schools being launched.
The CM also laid the foundation stone for a new students’ hostel costing Rs 5.98 crore and inaugurated five healthcare-related projects worth Rs 8.37 crore, including a State Midwifery Training Institute, Skill Lab, Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre, Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre, and Endoscopy Unit.
He further announced Rs 5 lakh for students to organise cultural events and urged them to stay determined in the face of failure.
Sukhu was accompanied by Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil, MLAs Chander Shekhar, Anil Sharma, and Inder Singh Gandhi, former ministers Kaul Singh Thakur and Prakash Chaudhary, former CPS Sohan Lal Thakur, and college Principal DK Verma.
