Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the government is considering sending MBBS students and faculty members from the state's medical colleges on overseas exposure tours to familiarise them with modern healthcare practices and advanced medical procedures being adopted globally.

Necessary steps in this direction will be taken soon, providing students and doctors an opportunity to understand international healthcare systems and technologies, the chief minister said after inaugurating an MRI facility and a tertiary care cancer centre equipped with simulator machines at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital at Nerchowk in Mandi district.

The government is also working to strengthen at least two or three departments in each medical college on priority, he said.

"The objective is to enhance specialised healthcare services and ensure that more treatment facilities are available to patients within the state," Sukhu said.

The chief minister also laid the foundation for a PET scan block at the medical college, officials said.

"The government is working to equip all the medical colleges in the state with state-of-the-art facilities to enable people to access specialised services closer to home without having to travel long distances," Sukhu said.

"Under the plan, automated laboratories are being established in all the medical colleges, which will enable multiple tests to be conducted using a single sample," he added.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.