Madhya Pradesh Health and Medical Education Minister Rajendra Shukla (60) is one of the senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state. Born in Rewa, he is currently one of the most powerful leaders from the Vindhya region of the state. A fivetime MLA from Rewa, Mr Shukla won his first Assembly poll in 2003.

In an exclusive interview to Gaurav Chandra of The Statesman, the BJP stalwart shared his vision, ideas and views on various issues related to the health sector and healthcare in Madhya Pradesh. Excerpts –

Q: What is your vision for healthcare in Madhya Pradesh?

A: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given top priority to building a healthy India for a stronger India. By ensuring comprehensive and advanced healthcare for its citizens, Madhya Pradesh aims to become a leader in the healthcare sector and set a benchmark for other states to follow. The state is focused on ensuring easy access to quality healthcare. The government’s goal is not just to make citizens concerned about their health but also to make them more aware and proactive. A preventive healthcare approach is being promoted, encouraging people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, which will reduce the burden on healthcare facilities. Infrastructure development and availability of state-of-the-art medical equipment and provisions for medical and paramedical manpower are being ensured. Our goal is to position Madhya Pradesh at the forefront of health parameters like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in the country. Efforts are being made to equip Community Health Centers (CHC) with facilities equivalent to district hospitals to strengthen healthcare services in rural areas. This will reduce the need for people to travel long distances for medical treatment and alleviate the pressure on district hospitals. Along with improved management of communicable and non-communicable diseases, emergency and trauma services are being significantly enhanced.

Q: What are the plans to improve super speciality and critical care facilities in government hospitals?

A: Presently, a total of 162 Intensive care Units (ICUs) are operational in various healthcare facilities across the state, wherein 1,584 ICU beds and 1,003 ventilators are available, to aid the provision of critical care services. Along with the enhancement and strengthening of infrastructure of the healthcare facilities through these measures, the government also intends to further strengthen the critical care facilities, under which provision and availability of New ICUs, ICU beds, ventilators and other necessary modalities shall be ensured in line with the need and emergent demand as per the existing norms. Besides this, it is intended to undertake the expansion of specialized care services like C.T Scan and Dialysis services. We are taking concerted steps to ensure facilities such as the provision of CR (Computerized Radiography) system in CHCs and facilities above CHC level. It is intended to provide advanced diagnostic and surgical services like MRI, Echocardiography, Laparoscopic services in selected District Hospitals and LINAC, CT, MRI, PET CT scan services in the selected Government Medical Colleges of the state. It is also intended to ensure the delivery of 42 anti-cancer drugs in a time bound manner from the divisional depot to the District Hospitals.

Q: What is the present shortage of doctors in government hospitals? What steps are being taken to fill up this shortage?

A: The shortage of doctors in Madhya Pradesh is a significant challenge. The number of specialist doctors in many government hospitals in the state is not sufficient, causing difficulties for people to receive timely and quality health services. The state government is making several efforts to address this shortage. We are regularly recruiting doctors to fill the vacant posts. The state government is providing attractive pay scales, work facilities and other incentives to doctors to attract them to government service. New medical colleges are being established in the state to produce more doctors. The state government is taking various measures to prevent government doctors from moving to the private sector, such as providing them attractive promotions and salary hikes. Under the process of filling the vacant posts of specialists/doctors in the state, demand letters have been sent to Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission for the fulfillment of 1,178 posts of specialists and 1,373 posts of Gazetted officers. Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission sent demand letters for 2,600 posts of first class/second class in the year 2022-2023, out of which 1607 candidates were appointed within the state as per the selection list. Appointment orders of 925 selected doctors were issued. Appointment orders of 1,902 bond doctors have been issued in the month of September 2024 in various health institutions of the state. Q: What efforts are you making to improve health indices in the state so that MP can be con

sidered amongst the best health facilities providers in the government sector?

A: Madhya Pradesh, a large and geographically diverse state with a significant tribal population, currently has the second-highest Maternal Mortality Ratio of 173, as per SRS 2018-2020, in India. Committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030, our government has implemented several key interventions like the implementation of IPHS 2022 Standards for infrastructure and human resources. The state government has merged the ‘Department of Public Health and Family Welfare’ and the ‘Medical Education Department’ for better integration. We are enhancing technologybased measures like improved data reporting, monitoring and tracking of pregnant women from marriage onwards through the new RCH portal. We are undertaking tracking of women with high-risk pregnancy. Madhya Pradesh has established 62 Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU) in Medical Colleges, District Hospitals and identified Civil Hospitals in which critically ill newborns are treated. At the sub-district level, currently there are 199 Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSU) functional in close proximity to the maternity ward where sick and low birth weight newborns less than 28 days of age can be cared for. Madhya Pradesh has established 64 Pediatric Intensive Care Units across medical colleges, district hospitals and civil hospitals in all the districts of the state in which treatment and care is given to sick children from 28 days to 14 years. Children’s wards have been upgraded to a paediatric ward with provision of oxygen-supported beds. In collaboration with Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh is planning to establish MNCUs in cascaded fashion across the state beginning from Bhopal district. All the Medical Colleges will be equipped with CLMCs and the District Hospitals will be equipped with LMUs in next two years. Establishment of TeleSNCU and Tele-PICU is in process. The proposal has been sent to the Government of India for Approval.

Q: How is MP performing in terms of benefitting the needy people through implementation of central schemes like Ayushman Yojana and others?

A: Till date, more than 22.22 lakh persons from 19.29 lakh families in MP have benefitted under the Ayushman Yojana. MP is ranked second in India in issuing Ayushman cards and number one in the country in terms of grievance redressal. MP is the fifth largest state in India with a population of nearly 8.77 crore, as per the National Population Commission data, and consists of a poor and vulnerable population pool of 4.70 crore people according to the data of SECC and State specific scheme. Total Number of Empanelled Health Care Providers (EHCP) in Madhya Pradesh is 1,048, which consists of 493 Public Hospitals and 555 Private Hospitals across the state. This scheme presently caters 1,952 health benefit packages under which major treatment procedures covering major specialties like cancer, cardio-vascular, high-risk pregnancy, nephrological procedures including dialysis, neurological procedures and many more expensive treatments are covered.

Q: Any plans for encouraging medical tourism in MP?

A: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has shared a draft consultation paper of the ‘Pradhan Mantri Global Medicity Scheme’ on 2 September 2024. We held a meeting with the Union Health Secretary regarding concurrence of the state for the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Global Medicity Scheme. It was apprised by the Madhya Pradesh Department of Industries that it is working for identification of suitable land parcel for the development of ‘Medical Hub’. The development of medical tourism in Madhya Pradesh shall mandate convergence among multiple stakeholder departments with policy decision on suitable selection of districts with connectivity with national and international routes along with policy decisions on acquisition of land, budgetary provisions, treatment packages, pay packages for retention of specialist/super specialist doctors, faculties of Medical/Nursing Colleges, development and maintenance of common infrastructures and hospitality sector. The objective of the central scheme is to create multiple Medicities for providing qualitative, accessible, affordable health care thereby positioning India as a Global Health Care destination. It is envisaged that the States/UTs shall create global standard tertiary care facilities in tier 1/2/metro cities to promote medical value tourism by building hospital parks preferably close to international airports. The Medicity shall comprise of Super specialty and Multispecialty hospital blocks having minimum 1,500 beds, Ayush hospitals with minimum 30 beds, OPD and Day care centers including tele-health centers, wellness center for therapies, acupuncture, aroma therapy and senior care centers besides several other facilities.

Q: What has been the response to the MBBS course in Hindi, which was launched under your previous regime?

A: Delegations from Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Bihar governments contacted the Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal for interviews with the students and their experiences of studying MBBS in Hindi. Inspired by the experiences of the faculty and students, the process of teaching MBBS in Hindi has been started in all these four states too. The students also shared their beneficial experiences in which they said that Hindi MBBS books help in better understanding any concept. The most important thing is that freedom of expression has been given in Hindi. The government has issued an order to use Hindi in writing and reading. After selecting books popular among students and transliterating them into Hindi, MBBS reading material for all years have been distributed to libraries of all medical colleges as per the number of students. We also invited suggestions from the public regarding the modification of Hindi MBBS syllabus in which majority of the votes received were in favour of teaching MBBS syllabus in Hindi language.

Q: Any plans to start more government medical colleges in MP?

A: At present, 14 government medical colleges are operational in the state. Besides, three new medical colleges in the districts of Seoni, Neemuch and Mandsaur have been granted approval to start operations from the current academic session. Medical colleges are under construction at Sheopur, Singrauli, Rajgarh, Mandla, Chhatarpur, Ujjain, Damoh and Budhni. These eight medical colleges will be established in a phased manner in the coming three years. We have also identified 12 under-served locations – Bhind, Morena, Dhar, Khargone, Katni, Ashok Nagar, Guna, Betul, Panna, Balaghat, Tikamgarh and Sidhi districts – and are establishing medical colleges in these areas through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models to enhance healthcare infrastructure and services. The Madhya Pradesh government has already floated PPP proposals by making district hospitals available for medical college establishments. This approach can help reduce investment costs and provide quality healthcare services to remote areas and underprivileged sections of society.