*Health projects worth ₹2,256 crore to be inaugurated across Haryana by next month: Arti Singh Rao*
*785 Medical Facilities to be Upgraded, MBBS seats also set to increase in state: Health Minister*
*Health Minister Arti Singh Rao addresses press conference in Panchkula*
Panchkula, July 15 – The Haryana Health Department is accelerating efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure, workforce, and services across the state. The department has hired 720 new doctors and is actively working to fill remaining vacancies in hospitals.
This was stated by Health and Family Welfare Minister Arti Singh Rao during a press conference held in Panchkula today. She said 785 medical facilities across the state—including Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), Sub-Health Centres, and Civil Hospitals—are slated for upgradation. Of these, administrative approval has already been received for 534 facilities, with the rest under process. Regular coordination meetings with the Public Works Department (PWD) are being held to expedite construction and renovation work.
The minister highlighted the state's extensive efforts to increase First Referral Units (FRUs), which offer specialized maternal and newborn care. In 2014, Haryana had 41 FRUs, which have now increased to 87. Additional FRUs with specialist services are in the pipeline.
She also spoke about the Ujjwal Drishti Haryana Abhiyan, a first-of-its-kind statewide campaign launched this month to provide free spectacles to school children and vision correction for citizens above 45 years of age. Over 1.4 lakh spectacles have already been distributed simultaneously across 22 district hospitals, 50 sub-divisional hospitals, and 122 community health centres. Eye examinations of nearly 21 lakh students in 14,267 government schools are underway, and approximately 40,000 students identified with visual impairments will receive free eyeglasses.
The minister informed that Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini is set to inaugurate several health infrastructure projects worth approximately ₹2,256 crore across all districts, and lay the foundation stones of additional projects totaling ₹594 crore in the coming month.
She further shared that the number of MBBS seats in Haryana has risen from 700 in 2014 to 2,185 today. With new medical colleges being established in Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri, another 300 MBBS seats will be added by end of this year. The number of PG (MD/MS) seats, which stood at 289 in 2014, has increased to 874. To bolster nursing education, six government nursing colleges are under construction. The Rewari college has already been inaugurated, while construction of the remaining five colleges is over 90% complete.
In the domain of AYUSH, Haryana will establish Shri Krishna Ayush University in FY 2025–26 on 100 acres in Fatehpur village, Kurukshetra. The university will offer 63 BAMS seats, 82 PG seats, and 63 seats for Diploma in Pharmacy. Additionally, Ayush Herbal Parks will be established in Rewari and Jind, and a Government Homeopathic College is proposed in Chandpura village, Ambala. A 25-bed Homeopathic Hospital has already begun functioning in Rampur-Sarsehdi Community Centre to support this initiative.
Responding to a question on sex ratio, the Minister said the numbers have been steadily improving over the past 2–3 years due to strict enforcement. Reverse tracking of suspected illegal abortions is being carried out, and over-the-counter sales of MTP pills have been banned, contributing to a positive shift in the trend.
