Himachal Pradesh medical education expansion

The Himachal Pradesh government has initiated plans to upgrade medical colleges to provide advanced healthcare services and reduce the necessity for residents to travel to other states for specialized treatment. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu noted that the state aims to increase doctor availability to 80-85 percent of the total requirement by next year.

Following a proposal from the state government, Union Health Minister JP Nadda announced the approval of 320 additional postgraduate medical seats across six government medical colleges. To support this expansion, the Central Government will provide a grant of approximately Rs 415 crore. The new seats will be distributed among institutions in Shimla, Hamirpur, Tanda, Mandi, Nahan, and Chamba, focusing on disciplines such as surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, and oncology.

The specific seat allocation includes 91 seats at IGMC Shimla, 57 at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College (Tanda), 57 at Government Medical College (Hamirpur), 55 at Nerchowk Medical College (Mandi), 32 at Government Medical College (Nahan), and 28 at Government Medical College (Chamba). This initiative is part of a broader national scheme to add 10,000 medical seats across India over the next five years at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore.