Himachal Pradesh may be boasting of having two functional medical colleges besides proposed medical colleges in Mandi, Sirmaur, Hamirpur and Chamba along with AIIMS at Bilaspur but state has not got a single specialist doctor who can perform organ transplant. Doctors hailing from HP, who are working in other states, are reluctant to work here. To avail the facility of organ transplant, residents of hill state either have to go to PGI in Chandigarh, AIIMS in Delhi or private hospitals in other states.
Kasauli MLA of BJP Rajeev Sehjal had said that people of Himachal have to avail the kidney transplant facility in other states and shell a lot of money. He asked when the government would start this facility in the state.
Health minister Kaul Singh Thakur informed the assembly that at present no such facility is available in the state but efforts are on. He said no doctor of state fulfils the conditions laid down in the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 2014, and none in Himachal has taken three-year training to become eligible for organ transplant.
He said the issue was raised with the director of PGI and AIIMS and now assistant professor (surgery) Dr Rakesh Chauhan has been given fellowship by the state government to undergo kidney transplant training at PGI. He said on Dr Chauhan’s return, efforts would be made to start the facility here.
Shimla MLA of BJP Suresh Bhardwaj asked the minister whether doctors already fulfilling the conditions were approached to start the facility of organ transplant in Himachal. Kaul Singh replied that a written request was made to PGI but the director informed that no doctor there is willing to serve in Himachal.
