Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday inaugurated a robotic surgery facility at IGMC, Shimla, which has been installed at a cost of Rs 28.44 crore. He said that after the successful commencement of state-of-the-art robotic surgery facilities at Chamiyana in Shimla district, Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda in Kangra district and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College at Nerchowk in Mandi district, the facility has now been made available for patients at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla.
Sukhu said that the facility would significantly strengthen minimally invasive and advanced surgical procedures in specialties such as general surgery, gastro surgery, oncology and gynaecology. It is expected to greatly benefit patients from across the state by providing access to precision-based advanced surgical care closer to home.
The Chief Minister said that people are now receiving world-class robotic surgery facilities in government hospitals of the state, which is the first of its kind in North India. He said that a robotic surgery machine would also be installed at Hamirpur Medical College within the next one month. The state government is committed to ensuring that people living in remote and far-flung areas also benefit from robotic surgery. In this direction, the government is also considering introducing robotic surgery facilities in Kullu and other major hospitals in remote areas of the state, he added.
Sukhu said there was no dearth of funds for strengthening the health sector in the state and the government is giving priority to providing world-class medical facilities to the people. He further said that advanced medical laboratories are being established at IGMC Shimla, Chamiyana and Tanda Medical College. An advanced 3-Tesla MRI machine has already been installed at IGMC, which is proving to be a boon for patients.
He also said that the fee for robotic surgery has been fixed at Rs 50,000 for patients opting for special wards, while those not opting for special wards will be charged Rs 30,000 for the procedure.
Health Minister Dr (Col) Dhani Ram Shandil, MLA Harish Janartha, Secretary Health M Sudha Devi, Director Medical Education Dr Rakesh Sharma, Director Health Services Dr Gopal Beri and other senior officers of the Health Department were present on the occasion.
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