Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court has directed the state health department to ensure that the civil hospital in Killar, located in Pangi Valley, as well as other govt healthcare facilities across Chamba district, are properly staffed to provide residents in this tribal region with essential medical services. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi, issued the directions while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation highlighting serious staff shortages in the district’s health facilities. According to an affidavit submitted by the director of health services, the civil hospital in Killar has only six medical officers against 12 sanctioned posts.
Key positions, including block medical officer (BMO), dental surgeon, dental hygienist, and ophthalmic officer, remain vacant. Additionally, there is a shortfall of seven staff nurses from the sanctioned strength of 12. The court noted that such shortages prevent residents from fully utilising the healthcare infrastructure established by the state govt. A fresh affidavit is to be filed by the health department detailing steps taken to fill the vacancies, with the matter listed for further hearing on April 30.This is not the first time the high court has raised concerns about healthcare staffing in Chamba district. In Dec 2024, the court already highlighted the critical lack of medical personnel at the civil hospital in Killar, which serves a large tribal population. The court then observed, after going through the vacant posts in various medical facilities in Chamba district, that it clearly depicted a “sordid and deplorable state of affairs” at the civil hospital in Killar. Even then, there were six vacant posts of medical officers, and there was no dental surgeon, BMO, dental hygienist, or ophthalmic officer.
