During an inspection of the two hospitals, Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC), Sadarpur, Himachal Pradesh, the health secretary M. Sudha Devi, and team found that there was only one nurse for 24 beds irrespective of the presence of the patient, which was contrasting from the standard guidelines, which recommend one nurse for every 6 beds. This led to the decision to create and fill the posts.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has decided to implement the universal standard of one nurse for every six beds. To achieve the goal of the CM, the Himachal Pradesh cabinet decided to fill the vacant posts in government hospitals. There are about 950 vacant posts, out of which 789 vacancies are for staff nurses. Government hospitals have only one nurse for every 12 patients, whereas, in specializing departments like internal medicine and cardiology, there is only one staff nurse for every 24 patients. To fill the vacant posts, which is a huge task, the government has to double the staff recruitment.
CM Sukhu said the government has decided to create and fill about 2000 posts under various categories to provide the state's people with the best facilities. He also mentioned the number of people to be hired under each category. They are:
789 staff nurses
14 medical officers
47 ward boys
43 OTA’s
To provide the best medical facilities and efficient treatment, about 600 staff nurses and 43 operating theatre assistants (OTAs) will be designated at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and hospital in Shimla, earlier said CM Sukhu.
The 462 positions approved for Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC) in Kangra by the cabinet are:
14 (medical officers)
4 (OTA’s)
4 (psychiatrists)
2 (transplant coordinator)
4 (clinical psychologists)
10 (data entry operators)
300 (staff nurses)
5 (class-IV posts)
2 (radiographers)
40 (Safai Karamchari)
47 (ward boys) and
30 (security guards)
Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC) are the two centers of the patients for treatment. Patients from Lahaul & Spiti, Sirmaur, Solan, and Shimla rely on the IGMC, while those from Kinnaur, Kullu, Hamirpur, and Kangra rely on the DRPGMC for treatment.
According to sources, the Himachal Pradesh CM said that the government had included 2 top hospitals in the first phase, i.e., Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC), where infrastructure is being improved. Apart from this, infrastructure is also being developed at another medical institute in Shimla, the Atal Institute of Medical Super Specialty (AIMSS) at Chamiyana.
Himachal Chief Minster Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is highly dedicated to bringing about a change and improvement in the healthcare system, as he previously, in January 2024, chaired a meeting with the health department officials and directed the implementation of the Health Information Management System (HIMS) for storing complete patient medication history in a cloud-based server.
The CM was quoted as saying "The HIMS would prove to be a milestone in providing seamless treatment facilities to the patients, as there will be no need to carry physical copies of prescriptions and medical tests with them.”
(Input from various media sources)
Rehash/Dr. Siddiqua Parveen/MSM
