Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal outlines SANKALP vision for healthcare; cashless treatment scheme for government employees and major investments in medical colleges, laboratories and hospitals announced
TFP Bureau, Raipur, March 12, 2026: The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed grant demands worth over ₹6,976.54 crore for the financial year 2026–27 for the departments of Public Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, AYUSH, and Other Backward Classes and Minority Development headed by Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal.
Replying to the discussion on the grant demands in the House, Jaiswal said the state government is committed to strengthening healthcare infrastructure and ensuring that every citizen has access to quality medical services. He said the health services of the state will be developed based on the SANKALP vision aimed at creating a modern, efficient and citizen-centric healthcare system.
Explaining the concept of SANKALP, the minister said it stands for Strengthened Institutions, Academic Excellence, Next Generation Research, Knowledge and Clinical Competency, Advanced Medical Facilities, Life-Saving Infrastructure, and Professional and Transparent Governance. He said this framework will guide the future expansion and improvement of healthcare services across the state.
Announcing a major welfare initiative, the minister said the government will introduce a cashless treatment scheme for all government officers and employees in the state. A budget provision of ₹100 crore has been made for the scheme, which aims to reduce the financial burden on employees and ensure access to timely medical treatment.
Jaiswal said the state government’s primary objective is to ensure that every citizen of Chhattisgarh remains healthy and receives quality healthcare services. To achieve this goal, the government is expanding healthcare infrastructure, improving medical facilities and strengthening services even in remote and tribal areas.
The minister announced that 25 new dialysis centres will be established in the state to make treatment for serious kidney ailments more accessible to patients. In addition, the number of Jan Aushadhi centres will be expanded with 50 new outlets to ensure affordable medicines for the general public.
He also informed the House that the state’s first homeopathy college will be established in Raipur to promote traditional and alternative systems of medicine. At the same time, a State Cancer Institute will be set up in Bilaspur to provide advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment facilities within the state.
Jaiswal said plans are also underway to establish a state-of-the-art Cardiac Institute in Raipur, which will become one of the most advanced heart care centres in central India. The institute will provide specialised treatment for cardiac patients and reduce the need for residents to travel to metropolitan cities for advanced care.
The minister added that ₹25 crore has been allocated for infrastructure development at Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital to strengthen paediatric cardiac care services and expand facilities for children suffering from heart ailments.
Major investments have also been announced to strengthen hospital infrastructure in the state. New buildings will be constructed for district hospitals in Ambikapur and Dhamtari, while a new district hospital will also be built in Chirmiri. Additionally, a 200-bed Mother and Child Hospital will be constructed in the Kalibari area of Raipur to provide specialised maternal and child healthcare services.
To address the shortage of trained healthcare professionals, the government will establish GNM training centres in Durg, Kondagaon, Jashpur and Raipur.
A major highlight of the budget is the proposal to establish central India’s largest integrated food and drug laboratory in Raipur. The minister said a provision of ₹95 crore has been made for this facility, which will provide advanced testing services for food and medicines.
Once operational, the laboratory will reduce the state’s dependence on testing facilities in metropolitan cities such as Delhi and enable faster and more reliable quality testing for Chhattisgarh as well as neighbouring states.
The minister also said steps are being taken to strengthen emergency medical services. Tenders have been issued for the procurement of 300 new ambulances to address the shortage across districts. In addition, the government will soon purchase 70 advanced ambulances equipped with ventilators and 10 specialised ambulances for newborn care.
Medical education sector
Under the Medical Education Department, a budget provision of more than ₹2,000 crore has been made for the Directorate of Medical Education for 2026–27. The government has sanctioned 1,240 posts for five new government medical colleges to be established in Dantewada, Manendragarh, Jashpur, Janjgir-Champa and Kabirdham, along with 500 posts for their associated hospitals.
The minister said these new medical colleges will significantly improve access to medical education and healthcare facilities in different regions of the state.
A provision has also been made for the construction of a trauma centre building at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur. In addition, ₹50 crore has been allocated for the purchase of medical equipment for government medical colleges and their affiliated hospitals.
To improve accommodation facilities for medical students, the government has made a budget provision of more than ₹83 crore for the construction of hostels in government medical colleges across the state. Hostels will be built at medical colleges in Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Ambikapur and Jagdalpur.
AYUSH department
Under the AYUSH Department, a budget provision of ₹544 crore has been made for the financial year 2026–27. The minister said ₹25.73 crore has been allocated for medicines and ₹4.16 crore for equipment to strengthen AYUSH healthcare services.
The government also plans to upgrade seven Ayurveda hospitals, 13 AYUSH polyclinics and 692 AYUSH dispensaries through public participation. In addition, a hostel and seminar hall will be constructed at the Government Ayurveda College campus in Raipur to improve academic facilities.
OBC and minority development initiatives
Jaiswal also outlined several initiatives for the welfare of Other Backward Classes and minority communities. A total budget provision of ₹251.68 crore has been made for various schemes under this department in the financial year 2026–27.
Under the Chief Minister’s Education Assistance Scheme, students belonging to the Other Backward Classes will receive free educational and residential facilities to support their studies.
The government will also establish a 500-seat Kanya Prayas Residential School in Bilaspur. Additionally, new hostels will be constructed including a 200-seat post-matric girls’ hostel in Raipur, a 100-seat post-matric girls’ hostel in Raigarh, a 100-seat post-matric girls’ hostel in Manendragarh, and a 50-seat pre-matric boys’ and girls’ hostel in Jashpur. A provision of ₹20 crore has been made for these initiatives.
To support students preparing for competitive examinations, the government will launch the Udaan, Shikhar and Manzil schemes under the CG Assistance for Competitive Examination (CG-ACE) programme. A budget provision of ₹9.63 crore has been allocated for these initiatives.
During the discussion on the grant demands, several legislators participated in the debate, including Leader of the Opposition Charan Das Mahant and members Dharamjeet Singh, Daleshwar Sahu, Ishwar Sahu, Pranav Marpachchi, Asharam Netam, Pramod Minj, Anuj Sharma, Punnulal Mohle, Raghvendra Kumar Singh, Kunwar Singh Nishad, Lakheshwar Baghel, Bholaram Sahu, Dipesh Sahu, Premchand Patel, Vinayak Goyal, Rohit Sahu, Ramkumar Yadav, Vyas Kashyap, Sushant Shukla, Sangeeta Sinha, Uddeshwari Paikra, Savitri Mandavi, Uttari Jangde, Ambika Markam and Yashoda Verma.
