Shimla Boils: ‘Don’t Split Motherhood for MLA Hostel’ — Women, Doctors Slam Sukhu Govt Over KNH–IGMC Shift. Sukhu Govt Puts MLA Hostel Before Mothers: KNH Gynae Shift Triggers Public Fury in Shimla.
Shimla is simmering. The Sukhu government’s move to shift gynaecology OPDs from the century-old Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH) to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) has triggered a fierce backlash, with protesters calling it “reckless, insensitive, and a direct assault on women’s healthcare” to make way for an MLA hostel.
At the heart of the outrage is a simple question echoing across the hospital corridors: Why dismantle a system that has safely delivered generations?
“You can’t divide obstetrics and gynaecology — it’s one life cycle”
Medical experts are unequivocal. Senior gynaecologists warn that separating obstetrics (childbirth) from gynaecology (women’s health) is not just impractical — it’s dangerous.
“These are not two isolated departments. They are clinically intertwined. The same doctors, professors, and trainees handle both. Splitting them disrupts continuity of care, delays emergency response, and puts mothers at risk,” said a senior faculty member, requesting anonymity.
Doctors point out that KNH, over 100 years old, is not just a hospital — it is the nerve centre of maternal care in the capital, strategically located and functionally evolved for high-risk pregnancies and emergency interventions.
“Don’t destroy what works” — Women hit the streets
The protest led by All India Janwadi Mahila Samiti turned into a 24-hour धरना at KNH, with women refusing to budge through the night.
Falma Chauhan, addressing protesters, didn’t mince words:
“If the government cannot improve facilities, it has no right to dismantle what is already serving women efficiently. For decades, ultrasounds, deliveries, and emergency care have been happening here. Why disrupt it now?”
She alleged the real intent behind the move:
“We have credible inputs that this is being done to clear space for MLA accommodation. Are women’s lives less important than VIP comfort?”
Costs up, care disrupted
Anger is also fuelled by a sudden spike in healthcare costs. Protesters claimed that user charges for tests and procedures have gone up, with even basic services becoming costlier.
“Earlier, services were accessible. Now rates are rising, facilities are being shifted, and patients are being forced to run between institutions,” said a protester.
“Even MLAs have mothers” — Emotional pitch sharpens
In a charged moment, speakers reminded lawmakers of the human cost of the decision:
“MLAs must remember — they too have mothers, sisters, wives. Labour pain is not politics. This is about dignity and life,” Chauhan said, drawing loud applause.
Protest to escalate
The agitation is set to intensify. Protesters have warned of a march to IGMC and, if ignored, a larger mobilization towards the state secretariat.
Interestingly, the issue has cut across party lines. Voices within opposition parties and even murmurs within the ruling establishment suggest discomfort with the decision, calling it a “policy miscalculation.”
The bigger question
The controversy has exposed a deeper governance dilemma — development versus disruption.
For Shimla’s women, however, the issue is immediate and visceral:
Don’t gamble with motherhood.
As one elderly woman at the protest put it bluntly:
“This hospital has delivered generations. You don’t shift care like furniture.”
