Balh MLA flags shortage of medicines, non-functional equipment; seeks early construction of paramedical institute and medical university
Munish sood
Mandi
Balh MLA Inder Singh Gandhi has taken up the long-pending demands for upgrading the Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital at Nerchowk with Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, seeking central intervention to turn the institution into a major super-speciality healthcare and medical education hub for Himachal Pradesh.
Gandhi met Nadda in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking a super-speciality block at Nerchowk, construction of a paramedical institute and early progress on the proposed medical university. He also drew the Union minister’s attention to what he described as deficiencies in medicines, equipment and other patient-care facilities at the medical college.
The MLA said about ₹12 crore sanctioned for the proposed paramedical institute is lying pending with the department, despite nearly 10 bighas of land being available alongside the medical college. He urged the authorities to release and utilise the sanctioned funds and commence construction at the earliest.
According to Gandhi, the institute would not only expand educational opportunities for Himachal’s youth but also help address the shortage of trained paramedical personnel in the state’s healthcare system.
Questions delay in medical university
Gandhi also questioned the delay in establishing a medical university despite the availability of sizeable tracts of land. He said around 200 bighas are available at Mudapar, while another 78 bighas of level land is available at Kansa Chowk.
“If adequate land is already available, there should be no further delay in taking the medical university project forward,” Gandhi said, calling for political will and a concrete roadmap for its construction.
He said the proposed university could accommodate academic blocks, hostels, research centres and other allied facilities, giving a significant boost to medical education, research and specialised healthcare in the state.
Patients still facing basic facility gaps
Gandhi alleged that patients visiting Nerchowk Medical College are still facing difficulties in accessing basic facilities, including medicines and diagnostic and treatment equipment. He claimed that machines remaining out of order often force patients to look for alternatives, adding to the difficulties of those undergoing treatment for serious illnesses.
He said a medical college of Nerchowk’s importance should have adequate medicines, functional equipment, specialist doctors and modern treatment facilities so that patients are not compelled to move from one place to another for essential care.
“Nerchowk is not merely a healthcare facility for Balh or Mandi. Patients from Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and other areas also depend on it,” Gandhi said, stressing that upgrading the institution would benefit a large part of the state.
Gandhi said the government should make time-bound use of funds and land already available for healthcare and medical education projects rather than allowing them to remain stalled. He expressed hope that the Centre would consider the demands raised with Nadda and support the expansion of Nerchowk into a major centre for super-speciality treatment and medical education.
