CM inaugurates Rs. 23 crore MRI Machine at Nerchowk Medical College

SHIMLA 26 September, 2026

· Lays foundation stone for Rs. 51 crore PET Scan Block
· Strengthening health sector a priority of state government: CM
· CM interacts with faculty and students of Nerchowk Medical College, ICU Capacity to be increased to 30 beds
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated an MRI machine worth Rs. 23 crore and a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre equipped with LINAC and CT Simulator machines, costing Rs. 2.29 crore, at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital, Nerchowk, in Mandi district. He also laid the foundation stone for a PET Scan Machine Block at the medical college, with an estimated cost of Rs. 51 crore.

Later, while interacting with faculty members and students of the medical college the Chief Minister said that strengthening the health sector was among the priorities of the state government. The government was working to ensure that all medical colleges in the state were equipped with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, enabling people to access specialized medical services closer to home without having to travel long distances for treatment.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that state-of-the-art automated laboratories were being established in all medical colleges across the state. These laboratories would enable multiple tests to be conducted using a single sample, eliminating the need for patients to repeatedly provide samples and making the diagnostic process more convenient and efficient. He said that, alongside promoting the use of modern technology in healthcare, the government was continuously strengthening the infrastructure and medical services at medical colleges. He said that the state government had installed a PET Scan machine at IGMC Shimla. He said that the current waiting period for a PET Scan at IGMC was around one month, whereas patients had to wait for approximately four months for the procedure at AIIMS Delhi.

The Chief Minister said that the government was considering sending MBBS students and faculty members from the state’s medical colleges on overseas exposure visits to familiarize them with modern healthcare practices and advanced medical procedures being adopted internationally. He said that necessary steps in this direction would be taken soon, providing students and doctors with an opportunity to understand international healthcare systems and technologies. He said the government was also working to strengthen at least two or three major medical departments in each medical college on a priority basis. The objective was to enhance the capacity for specialized healthcare services in the state and ensure that an increasing number of treatment facilities were available to patients within Himachal Pradesh.