Dharamshala: Senior BJP leader and Bharmour MLA Dr Janak Raj has strongly criticised the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, accusing it of levelling baseless charges against health schemes meant for the poor. He claimed the government is trying to tarnish the image of Himcare and Ayushman schemes so that it can eventually shut them down.
Speaking to the media, the neuro-surgeon turned politician said the Congress has been inconsistent in its allegations. “In the budget session they spoke of a Rs 1,100 crore scam in Himcare. Later they reduced it to Rs 110 crore. Then they made claims about uterus operations being performed on men, which are completely misleading,” Dr Janak Raj said.
He shared RTI replies from Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, stating that no case of uterus removal surgery on a male patient was found. The MLA also released year-wise figures of hysterectomy operations at Kamla Nehru Hospital in Shimla to counter the government’s narrative.
According to the data, 814 such operations were conducted in 2019, 429 in 2020, 600 in 2021, and 779 in 2022. Dr Janak Raj clarified that the four cases repeatedly highlighted by the Congress involved cancer patients who received only chemotherapy. He said any technical entry in the system was likely due to package adjustment and documentation processes, with no evidence of fake payments or actual fraud.
The Bharmour MLA warned that such statements damage the reputation of the entire medical community in the state. “Doctors trained at IGMC Shimla and Tanda are serving with distinction at AIIMS, Armed Forces Medical College and even abroad. Raising doubts like this hurts their credibility,” he added. He noted that while rare medical conditions involving uterus-like structures in men have been reported globally, no such case occurred under Himcare in Himachal.
Dr Janak Raj also pointed to what he called the government’s double standards. He said the ruling dispensation is trying to bury the well-known Chester Hill land scam case, in which even former chief secretaries have given statements. Officers whose names figure in the ODI list and CBI red list are being protected, he alleged.
The BJP leader challenged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directly. “If there is truth in your claims, make the facts public. Misleading the people through false propaganda is against democratic norms,” he said. He appealed to the public and the media to look at the issue on the basis of scientific facts and data rather than political lens.
Dr Janak Raj emphasised that schemes like Himcare have benefited thousands of poor and needy families across Himachal. Any attempt to defame them for political gains would ultimately hurt the most vulnerable sections of society, he added. The BJP, he said, will continue to raise its voice on this matter.
