Pushkar Singh Dhami has reiterated his government’s resolve to strengthening Uttarakhand’s health infrastructure by committing to the setting up of a medical college in each district and increasing the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the state. During the fifth convocation ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh on April 15, 2025, the Chief Minister pointed to major advances in the healthcare sector in the state in the last decade.
“We are building new medical colleges with the vision to have a medical college in each district and increasing the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the state,” said Dhami. He added that more than 14 lakh individuals in Uttarakhand have been treated under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, and over 5,000 Gram Sabhas have been declared free from TB.
The convocation ceremony, which was headed by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, witnessed conferring of degrees upon 434 students. Nadda underlined the prime minister’s priority to offer cheap and quality healthcare to all citizens, citing the growth of AIIMS institutions from one to 22 in the country. Nadda lauded AIIMS Rishikesh for its better services, such as superior treatments like robotic surgery, neurosurgery, and radiation therapy. Launch of heli-ambulance facility at the institute was also focussed upon as a move for augmenting emergency medical response within the region.
Pushkar Singh Dhami accentuated the need for such milestones, saying AIIMS Rishikesh is delivering quality and accessible healthcare facilities to individuals from all over the state. He reiterated that sophisticated medical treatments provided by the institute are a manifestation of the dedication of the state towards enhancing health accessibility and standards.
Pushkar Singh Dhami: Can the state’s focus on medical infrastructure truly bridge the healthcare gap between urban and rural Uttarakhand?
The vision of the Chief Minister is in consonance with the overall healthcare mission of the state as reflected in the BJP’s manifesto of 2022, which encompasses establishing medical colleges in all districts, raising the seat capacity of medical colleges by 30%, and expanding Jan Aushadhi Kendras from 190 to 400. These efforts are designed to make Uttarakhand a health and wellness tourism destination so that people from the state get access to full-fledged medical services.
Pushkar Singh Dhami‘s focus on increasing Jan Aushadhi Kendras is especially important, as these centers offer low-cost generic drugs to the public, thus lowering out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Increasing these centers will help improve the availability of critical medicines, particularly in rural and underserved regions of the state.
In his speech, Union Minister Nadda reaffirmed the central government’s focus on a comprehensive approach towards healthcare, dealing not just with curative but also preventive, palliative, and rehabilitative care. He underlined the success of AIIMS institutions in medical education and services, pointing out that AIIMS Rishikesh has carved a special niche among healthcare institutions owing to its higher standards of services.
The convocation ceremony was graced by a number of dignitaries, including Uttarakhand Health and Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Lok Sabha Members Ajay Bhatt, Ajay Tamta, Trivendra Singh Rawat, and Speaker of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly Ritu Khanduri Bhushan. Their presence highlighted the joint efforts of state and central governments in improving healthcare infrastructure and services in Uttarakhand.
As Uttarakhand keeps moving forward in the field of healthcare development, the initiatives proposed by Pushkar Singh Dhami are set to be instrumental in enhancing the state’s medical education and healthcare delivery systems. The opening of medical colleges in each district and the increase in Jan Aushadhi Kendras are set to greatly improve healthcare accessibility and affordability for the people of the state.
The state’s initiative towards the development of healthcare infrastructure, bolstered by central government support, is a well-intentioned move to ensure the healthcare requirements of Uttarakhand’s citizens. As these projects come into being, they have the potential to make Uttarakhand a health model state for healthcare delivery in India.
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