Shimla, July 11
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday inaugurated a state-of-the-art 3-Tesla MRI facility at the Atal Institute of Medical Super Specialities (AIMSS), Chamiyana, making it the second government healthcare institution in the state after IGMC Shimla to be equipped with the advanced imaging technology.
Installed at a cost of around ₹23 crore, the latest-generation MRI system offers superior image quality, faster scans and improved diagnostic accuracy. The Chief Minister said the new facility would strengthen the institute’s diagnostic capabilities and spare patients the need to travel elsewhere for MRI investigations, reducing both treatment delays and expenses.
Addressing mediapersons, Sukhu said healthcare and education remain the state’s top priorities and asserted that there was no shortage of funds for strengthening these sectors. He said the government was upgrading medical infrastructure across Himachal after consultations with doctors and was committed to providing affordable, modern and quality healthcare services. The Chief Minister said the government was filling vacant posts of doctors, offering competitive pay scales to attract specialists and equipping government medical colleges with advanced medical technologies. He announced that automated laboratories would be set up in government medical colleges at a cost of ₹125 crore to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnostic services.
Highlighting healthcare reforms, Sukhu said the 19-year-old MRI machine at IGMC Shimla had already been replaced with a new 3-Tesla MRI system and similar advanced machines would be installed in other government medical colleges in the coming years. He also said the government was strengthening AIMSS Chamiyana, where robotic surgery was introduced for the first time in Himachal Pradesh. Robotic surgery facilities have since been expanded to medical colleges at Tanda, IGMC Shimla and Ner Chowk, with subsidised treatment being provided to patients.
The Chief Minister said the government’s long-term objective was to achieve zero waiting time for diagnostic tests through systematic healthcare reforms. Reviewing the functioning of AIMSS, Sukhu announced that work on the Chamiyana approach road had begun and e-bus services would soon be introduced to improve connectivity. He also announced an increase in Senior Resident seats, recruitment of 800 nurses and appointment of 200 Associate Professors by December 2026.
During the visit, the Chief Minister also launched the AIMSS mobile application to provide patients with easy access to hospital information and services, besides inaugurating a cleanliness monitoring system aimed at improving sanitation and hygiene standards across the institute.
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