Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, on Saturday criticized the state government for the deteriorating health services, calling for tangible improvements rather than mere statements. Thakur was speaking in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly while resuming the discussion on his cut motion on health and family welfare, which he had moved on Friday.

Thakur said the quality of health services in the state has declined significantly over the last three and a half years. Highlighting the gap between announcements and on-the-ground realities, he noted that while Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had pledged in his first budget to provide high-end health services in government hospitals, conditions at institutions such as the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, remain substandard, with multiple patients reportedly sharing single beds.

He also pointed out that the state government has consistently reduced budget allocations for the health sector, citing the proposed Rs 2,868 crore for 2026-27—over Rs 1,000 crore less than the previous year’s allocation of Rs 3,900 crore. “With such a budget, how can health care facilities be improved? It cannot be done just with announcements,” Thakur said, citing frequent reports of missing equipment and malfunctioning machines across state medical colleges and hospitals, including the Super Specialty Hospital at Chamiana.

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Thakur defended the Himcare scheme, which provides healthcare support to low-income families, cautioning against discontinuing it over minor issues. He dismissed the Chief Minister’s recent claim regarding a female patient’s uterus removal as exaggerated and emphasized that the scheme has significantly benefited vulnerable populations. He also criticized the push for costly robotic surgery in multiple hospitals, suggesting that such high-end technology should be limited to only a few institutions.

The former Chief Minister also highlighted challenges faced by health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that despite their critical service, many were later removed from duty. He pointed out that salary increases for National Health Mission staff were funded by the Central government and criticized the state administration for failing to acknowledge this support, despite the Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, being from Himachal Pradesh.

Responding in the House, Health and Family Welfare Minister Col Dhani Ram Shandil stated that the government remains open to constructive suggestions and assured that the contributions of health workers during COVID-19 would be recognized. The exchange underscores ongoing tensions in the Assembly over health infrastructure and the implementation of welfare schemes in the state.

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