Himachal Pradesh: CM Jai Ram Thakur to inaugurate Atal Super Specialty Institute of Medical Sciences on September 28

Shimla: Targeting bulk healthcare services and addressing the increasing load, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur will inaugurate the Atal Super Specialty Institute of Medical Sciences in Chamiyana village on September 28.

Earlier, Indira Gandhi Medical College was facing an extreme patient load which led the government to construct a new hospital in Chamiyana village to ease the pressure. The new super specialty hospital will cater to the needs of patients as well as those injured in road accidents soon.

Patients with health issues had to visit IGMC for treatment, however, now they won't have to travel far and can get the facilities near their residence. Due to the COVID pandemic, the inauguration of the hospital was delayed which was supposed to be held last year.

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Till now, the new hospital has 12 specialist doctors and 12 staff nurses on deputation. More staff will be recruited in the near future, discussions are in progress. Nearly 10 super facility departments will be shifted from IGMC including Neuro Surgery, Cardiology, CTVS, Plastic Surgery, Urology, Nephrology, Pediatrics, endocrinology, gastroenterology, etc.

On the other hand, questions are being raised by Himachal Kisan Sabha on the functioning of the new hospital. State President of Kisan Sabha, Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar, said since the election is approaching, the government is rushing the process in order to claim the credit. He had earlier demanded the government through social media not to inaugurate the institute with half-completed facilities. 

He said that IGMC is facing overcrowding of patients due to less capacity and seriously ill patients sharing beds increases the risk of infection. Therefore, a new hospital was much needed, but starting with a partially completed hospital can also be fatal for the patients.

He told The Tribune "Seriously ill patients will be admitted to this hospital, and they will need round-the-clock monitoring. However, there's no residential facility for medical staff at the place. The institute has no air separator plant to meet the demand for oxygen. The approach road to the hospital is not wide enough and the space for the blood banks and a lab facility is also not as per the guidelines."

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