Raipur, April 2 To strengthen public healthcare services, the Chhattisgarh government has decided to establish a network of medical laboratories across the state, an official said on Thursday.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with HLL Lifecare Limited, a Central public sector undertaking, to operate these facilities under the banner of "Atal Arogya Labs", he added.
The first laboratory is scheduled to be inaugurated on April 14 in Jagdalpur district.
The initiative, led by Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, aims to ensure that quality healthcare reaches even the most remote corners of the state, the official said.
"The Chhattisgarh Integrated Diagnostic Management System (CGIDMS) will be established using a "Hub and Spoke" model. The network will comprise a State Referral Laboratory, four Divisional Labs, 33 District Labs, 12 Civil Hospital Labs, and 187 Community Health Center laboratories. Additionally, 814 Primary Health Centers will function as sample collection points, expanding diagnostic access across 1,051 healthcare facilities," he said.
District hospitals will offer 134 types of tests, civil hospitals 111, community health centers 97, and primary health centers 64.
Reports will be delivered directly to patients via mobile phones, the official said.
The scheme will be implemented in phases, with district-level laboratories set to become operational shortly. The entire network is expected to be fully functional within the next three months. To ensure efficiency and quality, a centralized monitoring dashboard and command center will also be established for real-time tracking of services.