The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh along-with Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur launched six new health schemes including Electronic Health Card Scheme, a scheme for free insulin for diabetic patients below 18 years of age under universal immunisation programme, at hotel holiday home today. They also launched HP Universal Health Protection Scheme, a health bulletin brochure, a scheme for free treatment of Hemophilic patients and introduction to ‘Measles Rubella (MR)’ campaign.
The health card could be downloaded from google app by the name ‘HealthCardHP’. They also laid online foundation stone of special ward block of Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla to have 32 wards. “I am always of the opinion that whatever is to be done should be qualitative time-bound and be done on priority”, said Chief Minister while addressing the gathering, adding that may it be expansion of health infrastructure, education, roads, etc. He said in the present tenure of State government, four new medical colleges were got sanctioned for the State.
Dr. Y.S. Parmar Medical College at Nahan and Jawahar Lal Nehru College at Chamba had started functioning and many students from all India medical quota besides non-resident Indians have taken admission in these medical colleges. The ESIC Medical College at Ner-Chowk in district Mandi has also become functional, said the Chief Minister. The construction work of medical college building at Hamirpur could not be taken up because the forest clearance was still awaited. Besides, there has been lot of infrastructural expansion in Ayurveda department too. Many Ayurveda health institutions have been opened in far flung and rural belts of the state, he said. He said that the government had got constructed well planned and well managed schools, college buildings and offices all over the state including old age homes and orphanages.
He congratulated for the quality work undertaken by the State Government construction agencies. He said that whatever the Government thinks of doing was accomplished and one needs to work with a strong will power. Chief Minister also congratulated Dr. J.K. Mokta for his research and had work in formulating a scheme for free insulin for diabetic patients below 18 years of age. Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said that the schemes launched today would go far beyond in strengthening the health services in the State. He said that the Himachal had become the first state in South East Asia to launch electronic health cards. He said that there were few lakh people who were not covered under any scheme had now been brought under the ambit of Universal Heath Scheme and would be benefited by schemes launched today. He said that the screening scheme for patients of non-communicable disease has also been launched in the State.
