In a decision which has been widely hailed by people from all sections of society, Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday announced that his government plans to convert the MLA apartment complex into a permanent specialist hospital. At present the complex functions as a dedicated Covid hospital (DCH). The DCH in Chimpu has a total capacity of 126 rooms/beds and the process is on to add more beds. A lot of people, including those from the health sector, have been advocating that the state government should convert the Chimpu DCH into a permanent super speciality hospital. Though it was constructed for the accommodation of MLAs, it has been used as a hospital since its completion.
The state government has invested around Rs 30 crores to convert it into a hospital. Therefore, the decision to convert it into a permanent hospital makes sense. CM Pema Khandu deserves to be appreciated for listening to the opinion of the majority, in particular those from the health sector. This is a bold decision and hopefully a beautiful, world-class hospital will come up. Itanagar does not have a proper government hospital till now. The Chimpu hospital will considerably ease the pressure on TRIHMS, Naharlagun. The state government should engage experts and make a proper plan to develop the Chimpu DCH into a proper hospital with all the modern facilities. If possible, expertise of hospitals like the AIIMS, Apollo, etc, should be sought.