Opposition Questions Data as Government Promises No PHC Will Be Without Doctors in 6 Months
A sharp exchange erupted in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur clashed over the issue of doctors’ recruitment and healthcare infrastructure in the state.
Government Claims Adequate Recruitment, Opposition Disagrees
Addressing the House, Sukhu stated that the state government has already recruited 162 doctors, while the recruitment process for another 236 doctors is currently underway. He assured that no primary health centre (PHC) in the state will remain without a doctor within the next six months.
However, Jairam Thakur challenged the figures, alleging that the data presented by the government does not reflect the ground reality. He argued that there is still a significant shortage of doctors and accused the government of delays in recruitment.
Sanctioned Posts vs Reality
Responding to a query by BJP MLA Rakesh Jamwal, the chief minister revealed that 2,337 posts for general practitioners and 683 posts for specialist doctors have been sanctioned. Of these, 2,159 general practitioner posts and 447 specialist posts have been filled so far.
Sukhu also made a controversial remark, stating that Himachal Pradesh currently has more medical colleges than required. He said ideally the number should have been limited to three or four, adding that it is not feasible to provide government jobs to all 870 MBBS and 247 postgraduate doctors graduating every year.
Focus on Healthcare Strengthening and PG Expansion
The government, Sukhu said, is undertaking a rationalisation exercise within the health department and will focus on strengthening key departments in medical colleges over the next year.
To tackle the shortage of specialist doctors, the state plans to introduce postgraduate (PG) courses in medical colleges located in Chamba, Nahan, and Hamirpur. This will be supported by amendments in recruitment and promotion rules for assistant and associate professors, along with an increase in PG seats.
Opposition Flags Delays and Data Gaps
Countering the chief minister, Thakur stated that the previous BJP government had sanctioned 500 posts and recruited 300 doctors, while the current government took over two-and-a-half years to fill the remaining 200 posts.
He also criticized the government for allegedly lacking accurate data on unemployed doctors in the state.
Health Minister Admits Employment Constraints
State Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil acknowledged that the government currently cannot provide jobs to all medical graduates passing out each year due to limited resources.
Recruitment Reforms and Quality Push
In response to Congress MLA Kewal Singh Pathania, Sukhu said the government has discontinued “walk-in interviews” to ensure merit-based selection. He added that the minimum qualifying marks in written examinations have been increased from 30–35 to 40–45 to improve the quality of recruited doctors.
₹3,000 Crore Healthcare Investment, Procurement Questioned
Highlighting efforts to upgrade healthcare services, Sukhu announced that the government is investing ₹3,000 crore in procuring advanced medical equipment. He claimed that robotic surgery equipment was purchased at a price ₹1 crore lower than that paid by AIIMS Delhi.
BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar demanded transparency, urging the government to table tender documents related to the procurement in the Assembly.
The chief minister maintained that the equipment was sourced from a globally reputed manufacturer through a transparent tendering process.
