Sukhu, while chairing a meeting of the Health Department today, announced that the State Government is set to launch a comprehensive Palliative Care Campaign aimed at delivering home-based medical services to the elderly and chronically ill patients across Himachal Pradesh.
The campaign will focus on identifying eligible beneficiaries—especially elderly citizens in need of home-based care. ASHA workers and Community Health Officers (CHOs) will lead the identification process, while medical teams including doctors and physiotherapists from Aadarsh Swasthya Sansthans will formulate personalized care plans. This entire process will be completed within three months of the campaign’s launch.
To support this initiative, Palliative and Elderly Care Hubs will be established at Aadarsh Swasthya Sansthans, each staffed with:
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2 Medical Officers
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2 Nurses
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1 Physiotherapist
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1 Counselor
These care teams will also conduct quarterly home visits to monitor and provide continued support.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister also reviewed the status of Himcare and Ayushman Bharat schemes. He emphasized linking beneficiaries with Him Parivar numbers for better integration. In a significant step, it was announced that:
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New Himcare applicants can now apply quarterly.
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Cards will be issued in the final month of each quarter.
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Medical College Principals and Superintendents will be authorized to recommend Himcare cards for up to 100 critical patients per hospital.
The CM also unveiled a plan to set up 49 new dialysis centres at Aadarsh Swasthya Sansthans across the state, with a total outlay of ₹41.62 crore, aiming to enhance accessibility to life-saving renal care services.
Present at the meeting were Health Minister Col. (Dr.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Health Secretary M. Sudha Devi, Director Health Dr. Ashwani Kumar Sharma, Director Medical Education Dr. Rakesh Sharma, Special Secretary Neeraj Kumar, and other senior officials.
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