Shimla, February 18 – Himachal Pradesh BJP President Rajeev Bindal on Wednesday said that the state of health services in Sirmaur is "alarming," citing issues such as expensive diagnostic tests, registration fees, shortages of medicines, and a reduced number of doctors.
He stated that three Primary Health Centres and one Community Health Centre have been closed, the Himcare scheme is ineffective, and even Ayushman cards are not being processed.
He described this situation as "grave injustice" towards the people of the Sirmaur district and the Nahan constituency.
Referring to a report presented by the Governor, Bindal said that the document "clearly shows that medical colleges in Chamba, Hamirpur, and Tanda, as well as the Chamiyana Super Speciality Hospital and the IGMCH in Shimla, have received financial assistance in various forms, while the Nahan college is "completely at zero."
Former Health Minister Bindal also said that the construction work for the Nahan Medical College has been stalled for over three years.
He stated that the entire funding for the project was provided by the Central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "but there has been no clear accounting for the use of funds."
He questioned: "Why has the 11-storey building and the proposed 500-bed hospital not been operational yet? Why has the 50-bed Mother and Child Hospital project remained pending for over three years? And where has the sanctioned amount for the nursing college gone?"
Bindal alleged that Congress leaders attempted to blame the entire situation on the Central government and used inappropriate language, which the BJP strongly protested.
Bindal said, "Despite receiving nearly Rs 27,000 crore in Revenue Deficit Grants and thousands of crores more under various heads in the past three and a half years, institutions are closing, development has stalled, and people are suffering, but where has the money gone?"
He said that the BJP delegation registered its protest on this issue and walked out of the all-party meeting called ahead of the Budget session.
The BJP state President asserted that in the past 40 months, the Centre has provided unprecedented support to Himachal Pradesh across all development sectors, yet due to alleged financial mismanagement and administrative failure by the state government, the state has been pushed onto the back foot.