Himachal govt committed to strengthen health facilities in rural areas: Deputy CM'

Una: Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Monday said the state government is fully committed to strengthen health facilities in the rural areas. The priority of the government is to ensure adequate availability of doctors in the villages so that people can get quality healthcare near their homes, Agnihotri said at an event to inaugurate X-ray and ultrasound machines installed at the Haroli Civil Hospital at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

He also urged the doctors to contribute to providing services in the rural areas so that the general public can avail the benefits of the healthcare facilities.

The Haroli hospital has been upgraded from a 50 to 100-bed facility and efforts are being made to provide the services of 13 doctors here, Agnihotri said, adding that about Rs 8.50 lakh will be spent on the construction of a new building for the hospital.

The deputy chief minister also announced to provide an ambulance to the hospital in the name of his late wife Simmi Agnihotri, who was the head of the political science department at Himachal Pradesh University.

"The state government is generously providing funds to strengthen health services in Himachal Pradesh. Full support is being provided for the development of a PGI satellite centre at Malahat in Una district," he said.

Describing the Una-Haroli bridge in Haroli as an "engineering marvel", Agnihotri said food markets will be developed on both sides of the bridge where self-help groups will be able to sell their products.