By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 21 Feb: Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat addressed the opposition’s concerns about health services raised through the Calling Attention Motion under Rule 58 of the Assembly proceedings. He reminded that free vaccines were provided during the Covid period and mentioned that a 50-bed hospital has been established in Badrinath. The government’s goal is to ensure that every person receives treatment in the mountains.
Rawat shared that, over the past year, free checkups have been conducted for 26,77,811 people, with 94,52,065 samples tested and 1,51,007 institutional deliveries performed in the state. Under the Eja Boi Yojana, women receive Rs 2000 for nutritious food after delivery. The Health Minister also shared that travel, operations, and cataract surgery spectacles are free in the state, and TB treatment is free, with TB patients also receiving Rs 1,000 for nutritious food. More than 5,000 villages have been declared TB-free, and the state aims to be TB-free by 2025-26, with vehicles dispatched for door-to-door TB testing. Anaemia treatment is also free.
The minister also stated that, currently, 150 students are pursuing MBBS at Dehradun Medical College, 150 in Haldwani, 150 in Srinagar, and 100 each in Almora and Haridwar. About 40 to 50 percent of these students study on bonds and will serve in the hills after completing their studies. By 2027, 90 percent of the 400 students in the state will complete their PG courses and this will effectively deal with dearth of specialist doctors in the state.
Earlier, MLA Pritam Singh had raised the issue of health facilities during the discussion under Rule-58. MLA Madan Singh Bisht highlighted that there are no doctors in Dwarahat CHC despite the posts being approved. He pointed out that while big buildings are being constructed in the state, doctors are still not available. Bisht emphasised that doctors willing to stay in the mountains should be allowed to do so.
MLA Lakhpat Singh Butola added that people have to travel long distances to reach the district hospital, and the poor condition of roads in the mountains causes significant trouble. He mentioned that there are no doctors in Gopeshwar District Hospital in Chamoli district and that the medical college in Srinagar has become merely a referral centre. Butola noted that while Dehradun has hospitals every half kilometre, standards are cited as a reason for the lack of facilities in the mountains. He stated that health issues are a major reason for migration, as people leave their villages to receive timely treatment. Butola called for Srinagar to be developed into a world-class medical college.
