Uttarakhand government announces major healthcare upgrades

Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan has directed officials to implement significant upgrades to the state's healthcare and medical education sectors. A primary directive requires all district and large sub-district hospitals to obtain National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation by March 31, 2027, to ensure standardized quality of care.

The state is also prioritizing the digitization of medical services through the implementation of the e-hospital system and an integrated health management system. To support this, officials have been instructed to provide necessary technical training and maintenance contracts.

To address staffing shortages, the Chief Secretary emphasized the need to fill vacant medical positions quickly. This includes streamlining paperwork for retiring doctors who wish to continue serving and exploring ways to engage specialist doctors from private hospitals as visiting consultants for government facilities.

Additional healthcare improvements include making dialysis services available 24/7 and launching kidney transplant facilities within the next three months, as the necessary infrastructure and specialists are reportedly ready. Furthermore, the government aims to simplify the process for obtaining birth and death certificates to reduce administrative burdens on citizens.