Mahindra Patyal
Bharmaur
Bharmaur–Pangi MLA and renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Janak Raj has strongly criticized the state government, calling the recent clash at IGMC Shimla “not a routine incident but a glaring testimony to the government’s failure in healthcare management.”
Dr. Raj said the government is trying to wash its hands of responsibility by taking action against doctors, misleading the public, and ignoring the fact that an overloaded system is breaking doctors’ morale while worsening patients’ suffering.
He raised sharp questions:
- Are patients criminals?
- Have hospitals turned into centers of harassment, where two or three patients share a single bed and wait endlessly for tests and surgeries?
- Are doctors and patients being forced into hostility against each other?
According to him, hospitals in the state have become hubs of mismanagement due to:
- Severe staff shortages
- Long waiting hours
- Lack of security
- No grievance redressal system
“This is the direct result of the government’s policy failures—both doctors and patients are victims, and the only reason is official negligence,” Dr. Raj asserted.
He further questioned the government’s priorities: “We asked in the Assembly why the government chose to spend ₹180 crore on six robots instead of improving hospital infrastructure and filling staff vacancies. Was this decision based on people’s demands and needs? In a democracy, an elected government is meant to work for the welfare of the people—that is what the Constitution says.”
