“IGMC Shimla is a Shame, Not a Sanctuary”: Retired Brigadier Blasts Himachal’s Collapsing Healthcare System
Shimla, June 30:
The so-called pride of Himachal’s public healthcare — IGMC Shimla — has come under fire from none other than one of its own: a decorated Army veteran and medical professional, Brigadier (Retd) Dr. Daleep Singh Chhajta.
In a no-holds-barred letter to Health Minister Col. (Retd) Dhani Ram Shandil, Brig Chhajta has torn into the state’s flagship medical institution, calling it a “horrible, hollow hoax” rather than a hospital.
Brig Chhajta, a former officer of the Army Medical Corps and alumnus of IGMC, was recently rushed to the hospital after suffering a stroke.
What should have been a routine emergency intervention turned into a nightmare.
Appalled by the lack of critical care, outdated machines, negligent staff, and VIP-driven chaos, the veteran chose to shift himself to Command Hospital Chandigarh — a damning indictment of a system meant to serve the people.
“Now I know why the mortality rate is so high at IGMC. There is no urgency, no discipline, and no accountability,” he wrote bluntly.
Rot Runs Deep: Broken Promises and Private Profiteering
While IGMC flashes banners promising “free tests and medicines,” Brig Chhajta exposed how patients are routinely referred to private diagnostic centres — shelling out thousands for MRIs, CT scans, and lab reports that the hospital either can't or won’t deliver.
Machines remain out of order, and hospital pharmacies are largely empty, pushing poor patients to overpriced private chemists.
“It’s a well-oiled nexus, not a healthcare system. Babus get reimbursed, poor patients get crushed,”.
VIP Culture Chokes the Wards
The veteran didn’t mince words on how the hospital turns into a VIP circus every time a politician or senior officer is admitted.
Corridors are cordoned off, staff goes into parade mode, and the common patient is sidelined.
“IGMC is not a protocol hall, it’s supposed to be a hospital,” he snapped.
He was equally scathing of senior consultants and nursing staff.
“Faculty behave like VIPs, not doctors. Nurses flit around like butterflies while serious patients lie neglected. There is no sense of duty, no dignity.”
A Veteran's Prescription for a Dying System
Brig Chhajta didn’t just criticise — he offered a hard reset plan.
He recommended that all medical staff from interns to the Principal be made to wear white coats with names and designations. Key faculty under 50 years must stay on-campus and rotate duties weekly.
Emergency services must be handled by trained trauma specialists — not on-paper duty doctors.
He urged top officials — including the CM and Health Secretary — to conduct surprise, no-protocol inspections at midnight to witness the ground reality of the ICUs and critical care wards.
“Wake Up, Health Minister”
Brig Chhajta launched a direct attack on Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil, questioning his absence from IGMC in the last two years.
“He’s simply passing time. Either he’s too old or too aloof for this portfolio,” he quipped.
A Wake-Up Call for the ECHS Too
Not stopping at state authorities, he urged the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) to consider de-empanelling IGMC and identify smaller, efficient hospitals with real doctors and functional facilities — free from political interference and red-tape.
“Even in private practice, these doctors are sugar-coated saints offering tea. In IGMC, they’re rude, indifferent and dismissive. It’s hypocrisy and exploitation.”
A Final Plea from a Soldier-Doctor
Despite the harsh criticism, Brig Chhajta acknowledged that many sincere doctors are suffocating in this mess. But without systemic change, he warned, the good ones will leave and the corrupt will remain.
“IGMC is losing its soul. I’ve worn the AMC uniform long enough to know what honour in healthcare looks like. What I saw here was shameful.”
He closed his letter with one line that rings louder than any siren:
“IGMC is my alma mater. I am ashamed of it today.”
This letter is not just an angry rant — it’s a red alert. One from a soldier, a doctor, and a citizen who believes that Himachal’s premier hospital is collapsing under the weight of its own apathy.
#IGMCRealityCheck #WakeUpHealthMinister #PatientsOverProtocols #BrigChhajtaSpeaks #FixPublicHealthNow
