Allied Healthcare (GAHC)

Realizing that the best way to measure the progress of society is through the health and education system, the Himachal Pradesh government has placed healthcare modernization at the top priority.

"In a mere two and a half years, the government has introduced a chain of revolutionizing measures to provide quality healthcare within the reach of all regions of the state — from city towns to remotest villages," a government spokesperson declared here on Sunday.

Himachal Pradesh now offers doorstep health care services from 2,926 government health facilities, six medical colleges, three zonal hospitals, nine regional hospitals, 92 civil hospitals, 107 CHCs, 585 PHCs, and 2,116 sub-health centers, he told.

On a targeted basis, several hospitals in the state have been upgraded, he mentioned, informing that the Civil Hospital in Kaza (Lahaul-Spiti) was increased from 20 to 50 beds, and facilities in Sujanpur (Hamirpur), Sunni (Shimla), and Haroli (Una) were raised from 50 to 100 beds. ESIC Hospital in Gagret (Una) has been made a Civil Hospital.

"New medical infrastructure has also been added by the state, like block medical offices at Baddi (Solan), Jai Singhpur and Dehra (Kangra), and new PHCs and sub-health centers in Sirmaur and Solan districts. During the period from January 2023 to December 2024, the Health Department served more than 3.27 crore OPD patients and 37.5 lakh IPD patients — an indicator of the widening coverage and capacity of the system," he added.

For equal accessibility to diagnosis and specialist facilities, the government is setting up one model health center in every 68 Assembly constituencies, two in Lahaul-Spiti and so 69 in all, said the Minister, adding that each facility will have six specialists who will conduct 134 diagnostic tests, including medicine, surgery, gynaecology, pediatrics, anesthesiology, and radiology. Upgrades also include addition of ultrasound, digital X-ray, and in phases chosen by it, MRI and CT scan machines.

He also stated that recruitment has been stepped up with 185 Medical Officers, 130 Staff Nurses, and staff in other vital positions being appointed. 

Another 491 vacancies have been added to cater to the growth of services, he added.

"The 2025–26 budget allocates Rs 1,730 crore to purchase state-of-the-art medical equipment, with dialysis facilities to be made available in all 69 model institutions and blood storage facilities planned for 11," said the spokesperson.

State-of-the-art diagnostic equipment like MRI machines and PET scans are being installed in top hospitals such as Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Shimla and AIIMS Chamiyana.

There is a new initiative, the Mukhyamantri Vridhjan Dekhbhal Yojana, which will provide home-based care to citizens who are 70 and above years of age, he added.

These consistent efforts have placed Himachal Pradesh on the road to becoming a model of healthcare excellence and a future hub for health tourism within India, he said.

Every year on July 1st, India celebrates a day dedicated to the real–life heroes we call  doctors. India takes time to celebrate its doctors who are the shield of our health. National Doctors Day is not just a day on the calendar that is celebrated, but a touching ovation to the care, dedication, and resourcefulness of the healthcare providers that determine the well-being of our country.

The theme of this year, Behind the Mask: Who Heals the Healers, is something that makes us look beyond the white coats and stethoscopes, and into the human lives and silent battles that make up a doctor's path. It is one question that lives in the back of every hospital hallway following decades of pandemics, crises, and unending pressure on the healthcare system.

Why is Doctors' Day celebrated? 

In India, Doctors Day commemorates the day of birth and death of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, a Doctor and a visionary who became the second Chief Minister of West Bengal. His life was dedicated to service. Dr Roy established the Indian Medical Association and Medical Council of India. He was honoured with the Bharat Ratna for his inimitable service in the field of medicine and society. In addition, institutions are not the only things he left behind, his memory lives in each of the doctors that turn up to serve regardless of the odds.

Doctor’s Day Theme 2025: Behind the Mask: Who Heals the Healers? 

The life of doctors in India is never a balanced one. While the world is fighting for work-life balance,  these healers make their work their life. Behind every prescription and diagnosis is a story of missed family dinners, sleepless nights, and the emotional toll of caring for others. There is a trail of loss and hope equally balanced on the shoulders of doctors who happen to be first on the scene and last out. The pandemic years showed that doctors are not invincible, despite their status of a special employee of the Indian healthcare system, they are just human beings, who can be fatigued, anxious, grieved, like no one.

Yet, despite all of these, doctors still stand tall. They shake hands, give people hope, and save lives, even when the world appears to be collapsing. They do not only show courage in their clinical strength, but they are also there, all the time.

Why is Doctors Day More Important than Before?

Doctors’ Day is our way of saying thank you and appreciating the sacrifices that remain to be unnoticed and just a reminder to us that behind every mask is a heart that beats. It is also an action call: to take care of our physicians, to invest in them and make sure the people who are supposed to heal are healed and listened to.

As we celebrate National Doctors’ Day 2025, let us remember that gratitude is not just for a day. It is a responsibility of all of us to honour, to support, and to stand with those who dedicate their lives to us. Just like we respect soldiers for sacrificing their lives for us, we must respect the doctors who sacrifice their desires for us. 

To all the doctors of India: we thank you for being the light in our darkest moments, and the power behind all the cures. Thank you for choosing to be the healer, the DOCTOR.

When we talk about India, the younger adults go to the university in the crowded cities of India, like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and so on, every year pursue courses that not only give them better career opportunities and also impact their lifestyle positively. But there is a different kind of crisis going on in the background of these vibrant college towns: a quiet epidemic of student psychiatric need is ravaging campuses.

A cross-sectional study published in 2025 titled, “Mental health of young adults pursuing higher education in Tier-1 cities of India: A cross-sectional study,” has brought this issue under the light of focus, offering the most comprehensive insight yet into the psychological well-being of young adults (aged 18-29) pursuing higher education in India’s Tier-1 cities. Those results are devastating, but relevant, and must not be ignored by education practitioners, policymakers, parents and students themselves.

Anxiety, Depression and the Distressing Numbers

The study surveyed 1,628 students across eight major cities, using the well-established Mental Health Inventory (MHI-38) to measure levels of anxiety, depression, behavioral/emotional control, and overall well-being. The outcomes come as a wake-up call:

1. Two thirds (69.9 %) of the students indicated a moderate and high prevalence of anxiety.
2. 59.9% of the respondents were faced with moderate to high depression.
3. 65.1 % grappled with the loss of behavioral or emotional control.
4. 70.3 % of them experienced high levels of psychological distress.

These are not statistics but real young people who have to live with too much stress, ambiguity, and pain as they pass through what are to be the most meaningful years of their existence.

Differences brought upon by Gender, Geography and Institutions

The research did not only settle on common prevalence, but also went to deeper levels to obtain vital trends:

• \Women-students showed more distress than men, as it happens worldwide when it comes to mental health vulnerability among young women.
• Students in the Western and Southern regions of India had greater rates of positivity and well-being whereas Kolkata students had low rates of positivity but surprisingly they scored high on overall well-being.
• The depression levels in Hyderabad students were at a lower level than those at other cities.
• Students at Central Universities were more prone to depression, while those in government arts and science colleges reported lower life satisfaction.

These differences underscore how one may consider it true that mental health is not only about individual determinants but also diverse social, cultural, and institutional contexts of different cities and campuses.

What is the Reason Students Are Struggling? The origins of the Crisis

A number of intertwined reasons are fueling this crisis of mental health among the young people of the urban India:

• Academic pressure: The cut-throat competition in the field to perform, grab seats, and create great resumes is ever present in Tier-1 cities.
• Social Isolation: It is the case that many students are independent of family and are likely to be unable to connect with others within the impersonal campuses.
• Economic Uncertainty: The constantly increasing tuition, costs of living and fear of getting a job in the future all sum up to the mental pressure.
• Screen Time and Inactive Lifestyles: Too much exposure on digital devices and inactive lifestyles have been associated with higher cases of anxiety and depression.
• The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Isolation was enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic, routines were broken, and the most significant part many students were left with emotional scars.

Why  Very Few Students Seek Help?  

Perhaps the most troubling finding is that very few students access mental health services, despite the high prevalence of distress. The reasons are quite controversial:

• Stigma and Cultural Bias: Mental health remains a forbidden subject at home and in most Indian societies or even communities and students of such families are afraid to seek help.
• Awareness is a problem: Students do not know the signs of mental illness or where they can go to find help or someone who can at least understand them.
• Constrained Campus Resources: The college campuses have limited resources of trained counselors and mental health services even in Tier-1 cities.

The Consequences

Mental health problems, when left unchecked, may be disastrous, not only in the school but long-term personal, social, and career life. The fact that suicide is on the increase among people who died within the young adult age bracket in India proves to be a sad testimony to the seriousness of this issue.

What Is the Solution? 

The silver lining is that it can be changed, and it is indeed happening in a few of our institutions:

• Holistic Wellbeing Programs: In 2024, during the National Wellbeing Conclave by the Ministry of Education, emphasis has been discussed on how there should be holistic programs that take into consideration psychological, emotional, physical, and social wellbeing. Such activities as stress management workshops, mindfulness sessions, and peer support networks are also trending.
• Integrated Mental Health Services: The ratio of the number of students to counselors should be 1000:1 and should have a setup or an easy accessible counseling facility in each campus.
• Faculty and Staff Training: The teachers and other staff members are being trained as mental health first responders to help in identifying the early warning signs and refer students to the right kind of help.
• Busting the Stigma: The open dialogues as well as awareness campaigns, and the alumni mentorship programs are making it possible to normalize mental health conversations and trigger help-seeking behavior.

As a student, do not forget: You are not the only one, and it is not weakness, but the evidence of a strong heart to ask for help. Seek help on campus with the counselors, reliable faculty, or peer support groups in case you are suffering.

As far as parents and educators are concerned, the focus on emotional well-being is to be introduced in addition to academic achievements. Be a good listener and nonjudgmental, and seek to provide safe areas where individuals can talk. Start championing better mental health resources within your institutions.

To the policymakers and university leaders, the statistics prove that it is not merely a moral duty to invest into the mental health of students but a necessity to have a resilient, innovative and productive generation.

There is a difficult road to travel, yet, working together, the campuses of India can do more than prove to be a locus of high academic achievement, but rather a focus of true intellectual and spiritual renewal. It is what our future generations are all about.

Mental health can be a particularly problematic issue in some people or in people to whom you are close. Do not be afraid to approach them in case you suspect that something is wrong. Confidential counseling is offered on many campuses today and there are national helplines 24/7. 

Bihar’s medical service just got a lot better with the inauguration of a new healthcare facility at IGIMS Patna. Bihar’s Health Minister Shri Mangal Pandey recently inaugurated four new facilities at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna. These facilities developed at the cost of 8 crore include paediatric oncology ward, two modular OTs, robotic operated physiotherapy, and molecular pharmacology research lab.  It is believed that this will help in enhancing medical services, better treatment and attention of thousands of individuals in the region.

Healthcare Facility Inauguration at IGIMS 

During the inauguration ceremony held at IGIMS all the medical experts, hospital employees and government technocrats were present. The health minister of the state emphasized the usefulness of these newly developed facilities and said that these facilities will be very useful in firming up the health care infrastructure in Bihar. The additional developments are better diagnostic centers, modern operation theatres and dedicated wards in critical care. 

IGIMS Healthcare Facility Insights 

The new set up of the facilities at IGIMS aims at giving the best in medical care. The important upgrade insights are:

1. State of the art Diagnostic Centers: The clinics will be equipped with state of the art advancements which will assist the doctors in the detection of diseases accurately and much faster.
2. New Operation Theatres: New operation theatres have superior equipment, thus safer and efficient surgeries are performed.
3. Specialized wards: Wards that will be specialized in critical care will be serving patients that require intensive treatment and monitoring.
4. Better Patient Facilities: The hospital also has paid special attention to making the environment more convenient to patients and their relatives with enhanced waiting rooms and services. 

What Is the Significance of This to Bihar?

Bihar being a populated state in north India, has numerous issues concerning healthcare. As these new facilities open, one of the goals that IGIMS is striving to achieve is to relieve the pressure on other hospitals and also provide specialized treatment in the state. This will imply that patients will no longer be forced to move to other cities to access advanced medical services which helps a family save time and money. 

The Health Minister focused on the commitment of the government to ensure that healthcare is affordable and accessible to all. He also added that such initiatives are going to be done more often in the future so that medical services in the state of Bihar could improve even more.

Professional Opinions and Response of People

Physicians at IGIMS were glad concerning the new amenities expressing that they will enable them to treat patients in a better way. The changes were also embraced by many patients and their relatives that wanted the diagnosis done faster and the treatment improved.

This opening of these new facilities in IGIMS is a good indication of health care in Bihar. It shows the interests of the government toward advancing the health of the population and offering quality medical facilities to the entire population. With increasing numbers of such projects, Bihar will emerge as a place of high-standard healthcare in east India.

People in Bihar hope that through these changes, they will have a healthier future ahead of them and that they have more access to quality healthcare services in their own state. 

Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Dr. Jitender made an appeal to the youths on Saturday, calling on students to say no to drug addiction and unite to be dynamic beacons towards a healthy tomorrow. Addressing over 2,000 students from 15 institutions on the inauguration of Drug Awareness Week at the Telangana State Integrated Command and Control Centre (TGICCC), he urged, "Drugs wreck lives by wrecking mental and physical wellbeing. You all must take the message to at least ten friends — no drugs, yes health and happiness."

The seven-day tour, June 21 to 26, is with the aim to sensitize people towards the ill-effects of drug addiction, particularly among students. Since increasing numbers of cases of drug abuse among young people in the country are being uncovered, the action by Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) and the state police is a welcome and necessary move.

To ensure the state's determination is more robust, Dr Jitender vowed, "We are progressing towards a drug-free Telangana with zero tolerance. But without you, we can't do it — we need students, teachers, and citizens like you to be our eyes and ears. Report what you see, assist those in trouble, and never ever hold back from reaching out."

The week will see schools and colleges in the state holding rallies, seminars, community programs, and inter-departmental drives on the topic of developing a strong anti-drug culture.

Maybe the most moving aspect of the event was the message board, where students signed personal vows and messages, pledging not to use drugs and urging others not to do so. The board was a stark visual image of group unity and might in the war against drugs.

When students left the venue, they all said that they needed to take the message to their community. "It's not about avoiding drugs — it's about doing the right thing," said one of the students from one of the city schools. With youth leading the way, Telangana's battle against drugs just got its best attempt.

Dr Sonu Goel, associate professor, department of school and community medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), drenched the city in pride by becoming a 2024 highly distinguished scholar, as rated by ScholarGPS. The globally recognized online platform identifies scholars on the basis of their research productivity, impact, and overall quality.

This award positions professor Goel in the world's top 0.5% of scientists from more than 30 million scientists and recognizes his outstanding science contributions to global public health leadership and tobacco control. This positions him in the world's top 2.96% of scientists in tuberculosis, 1.05% in tobacco, and 2.83% in primary care.

Prof Goel published more than 270 papers in reputable national and international publications and wrote chapters for several books as well as edited and written several books himself. As a director of the International Public Health Management Development Program, in association with the ministry of external affairs, he has managed to train around 1,400 high-level policymakers and professionals from 96 countries during the last nine years.

One of his key contributions to tobacco control is a set of community-level interventions that have made a massive contribution to society. He had conceived and spearheaded the National Resource Centre for Tobacco Control, inaugurated in 2016, which was commissioned by then Union health secretary, and received the high-profile WHO Director-General Award in 2022.

He is also the convenor of the Scientific Support Group, which is directed by the ministry of health and family welfare.

During his distinguished career, professor Goel received many awards such as visiting scholarships by many of the world's premier institutions like Johns Hopkins University (US), the International Union against TB and Lung Diseases, the University Grants Commission, and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

He is also an adjunct professor for Master's in Public Health Program, School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Ireland, and an honorary professor in the faculty of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University in the UK.

Awards and honors are:

His notable awards are the Public Health Excellence of India award (2016), two best researcher awards by PGIMER Chandigarh, Vasudeva Oration and Dr Harcharan Singh Oration by the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (country's youngest recipient) and Dr J E Park Oration by the Indian Public Health Association.

Following his graduation from Maastricht University, Netherlands, and acknowledgment by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, professor Goel toured more than 45 nations in an effort to disseminate his path-breaking research findings. Professional biography bears testimony to a firm dedication towards the promotion of public health and optimizing global health returns.

The ScholarGPS 2024 award recognizes professor Goel's commitment over a lifetime to research excellence in public health and outstanding contributions towards enhancing global human well-being.