Leader of Opposition and former BJP Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur said the health services in Himachal Pradesh have deteriorated over the last three and a half years. He said there was a need to improve the health services on the ground, not just in statements.
Thakur moved the cut motion on health and family welfare in Himachal Pradesh on Friday in the House and resumed the discussion on Saturday.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had announced in his first budget speech that his priority was to provide high-end health services to the people of Himachal Pradesh in government hospitals. The CM had also mentioned that when he went to the Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, he saw that two-three patients were accommodated on one bed.
"It is easier said than done," said Jai Ram Thakur.
"The present government's tenure is nearing three and a half years in HP, and the reality is that the health services have deteriorated expeditiously, so much so that the state has never been witness to such a bad state of affairs in the health sector. The entire country is progressing in the health services by adding new facilities, but the trend in Himachal is just the opposite. The CM may not have gone and seen now that the health services are getting worse," he added.
The Leader of the Opposition said the Congress government had brought down the budget allocated to the health sector in every budget.
"You have proposed Rs 2868 crore in the budget 2026-27, which is over Rs 1000 crore lesser than 2025-26 (Rs 3900 crore). If this is the situation, how are you going to add to improve the health care facilities in HP? It can't be done just with announcements," he said.
Thakur said everyday there is news about this or that facility missing, machines out of order, health services deteriorating, whether it is IGMC or any other medical college hospital. We hear a lot of news about shortcomings in the super specialty hospital Chamiana also.
"This is unfortunate as there is no improvement in the health services and common people feel the heat of these shortcomings in the hospitals every day," he said.
He said there are six government medical colleges in the state and one All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in HP, and the Central BJP government takes the credit for establishing these institutions on the ground.
He said for the last one and a half years, the Hamirpur and Chamba medical colleges have not been able to call the tenders for tables and chairs.
“They do not have furniture," he said.
The former BJP Chief Minister reiterated that the government intends to stop the Himcare scheme against public interest by defaming the scheme on small pretexts. He said the CM's statement in the House that a female has been operated upon for uterus removal has been blown out of proportion, whereas there was a need for the media also to check the facts first. He read out the issue on technical grounds and said BJP MLA, Dr Janak Raj (Neurosurgeon) could explain this well.
"Probably there is nothing like what the CM said," he said. He said the issue might have been about treatment under a package for four patients, all of whom were cancer patients and were given cancer medicines."
He said the government should not stop the scheme, looking into small mistakes, as the poorest of the poor have been drawing advantage of the health care scheme.
“Himcare has given life to people. The government should not end the life of this scheme," he said.
He took a dig at the government's quest for 'high-end' health services and said robotic surgery could be introduced in a maximum of two institutions in the state.
"We don't need it at just every place as it is very costly for purchase, maintenance and even for patients," he said.
Jai Ram Thakur said the Chief Minister announced a hike in the salary of some categories in the National Health Mission, including doctors and nurses, and other staff, but failed to mention that the money is being provided by the Central government for this hike in the National Health Mission.
He said it was highly insensitive of the government that the health workers, who gave services in the extremely difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic in different spheres, have been shunted out of services.
"It was such a time that even the families abandoned those who caught COVID-19, and people were not ready to help each other. These workers helped handle all that for Covid patients. They should not have been meted out such a treatment," he said.
He said the Central government was providing money for the health services, but the state government was not able to spend it.
"The Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, is from Himachal Pradesh, and he is for all help to Himachal. But the state government should have the courtesy to at least thank the Central government," he said.
Health and Family Welfare Minister, Col Dhani Ram Shandil, said the government was positive so far as good suggestions by any member were concerned. He said, certainly, the health workers, who were engaged in COVID for all these difficult works, will be considered.
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