Audit doctors to stem referral of patients to Chandigarh PGI: Nadda

CHANDIGARH: To keep a check on the number of patients coming to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, Union health minister J P Nadda has suggested that

Himachal Pradesh

does a state-level audit of doctors.


In an exclusive interview to TOI on Monday, Nadda, who was returning to Delhi after the ground-breaking ceremony of AIIMS in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur, said, “I have advised state health minister Vipin Parmar to conduct an audit in cases which can be treated at the local level but are being sent to PGI without a proper assessment.” With the improvement in health facilities at district level in states, it is important that doctors do not refer cases which can be treated locally to the premier institute, he added.

Nadda claimed that during his term as the health minister of Himachal Pradesh from 1998 to 2003, he had successfully introduced this audit and curbed not only the unnecessary patient overflow to super speciality and premier institutes like PGI but also ensured that those in need of urgent care were treated on priority.

Regarding improvement of basic health facilities in far-flung areas of Himachal and other states with difficult terrains, the Union minister said, “It is not possible to provide every emergency facility at the door step, but such facilities can be provided at district and state level. Our focus has to be on deploying adequate number of doctors in village dispensaries and health centres so that a patient gets initial treatment there and is then referred to a district health centre or a medical institute.”

Terming the setting up of AIIMS in Bilaspur as a milestone in improving the medical facilities in Himachal, Nadda said all efforts would be to provide best possible facilities and experts in the to-be one of its kind medical institution. “We have fixed a deadline of 2 years for its completion,” he added.

He said out of Rs 1,430 crore allocated by the Centre to Himachal under National Health Mission since 2014, Rs 1,348 crores have been released so far. Under the Pradhan Mantri Swathya Suraksha Yojana, Rs 213 crores have been approved for the Indira

Gandhi Medical College

, Shimla, of which Rs 120 crore would be the Centre’s share. Besides, Rs 510 crores have also been approved for medical colleges in the state, he added.

Asked about the raging debate on implications of recently passed anti-surrogacy Bill in the

Lok Sabha

, he refused to comment, saying, “It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this stage (as the Bill is in

Rajya Sabha

now).”