Doctors' body opposes shift of gynaecology OPD to IGMC Shimla

Shimla: The State Association of Medical and Dental College Teachers (SAMDCOT) on Thursday strongly opposed the Himachal Pradesh government's decision to bifurcate the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OBG) by shifting the Gynaecology unit from Kamla Nehru Hospital to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC),

The association's office bearers stated that this decision is illogical, unprecedented, and against established medical and academic principles, the association's office bearers said in a statement issued here.

The OBG department functions as a single, integrated unit worldwide, particularly in teaching institutes, where coordinated patient care and academic training are essential. Separating gynaecology from obstetrics will severely compromise both patient care outcomes and medical education, the statement added, reports PTI.

Optimal patient care in OBG requires a unified department to ensure continuity and multidisciplinary coordination, and fragmentation will lead to inefficiencies, delays, and compromised treatment standards. It further added that the bifurcation will also negatively affect undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, disrupting structured training programmes.

Also Read:BJP opposes shift of gynaecology services to IGMC Shimla, submits memorandum

The stated objective of introducing robotic surgery at IGMC does not justify this decision, as robotic surgery is available for gynaecology patients only three days a week, and a very small percentage of patients actually require robotic procedures.

The association members said that Kamla Nehru Hospital has sufficient infrastructure and planned expansions, including an IVF centre, a fetal medicine unit and oncology centre, and added that these projects, already proposed by previous governments, risk being indefinitely delayed.

The chief minister had said that the gynaecology department was being shifted to IGMC to ensure better facilities, including robotic surgery.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that, opposing the proposed shift of gynaecology services from Kamla Nehru Hospital to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, BJP leaders raised concern that the move could impact maternal healthcare services and patient safety.

Also Read:Robotic surgery set to launch at Himachal Medical Colleges by January 2026