A medical university campus in Selaqui, Dehradun became the stage for a sweeping healthcare ambition on Monday, 19 October 2026, as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami laid foundation stones and inaugurated five development schemes worth ₹20.55 crore at the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University — and then outlined one of the state's most detailed healthcare roadmaps in recent memory.

₹20.21 crore in new bricks, ₹34 lakh already delivered

The five schemes split into two categories: three projects worth ₹20.21 crore received their foundation stones, while two projects valued at ₹34 lakh were formally inaugurated as completed works. CM Dhami opened the event with puja-archana (worship) at a Maa Saraswati installation and laid a floral tribute at the statue of the late Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna — the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Congress stalwart after whom the university is named. Addressing the gathering, Dhami said the new facilities would give students 'a better academic environment' and accelerate development of the entire region.

Super-specialty hospital proposal already with Delhi

The single most consequential announcement was that the Uttarakhand government has already sent a proposal to the Union Health Ministry for the establishment of a super-specialty hospital on the Selaqui campus. No central approval has been granted yet; Dhami confirmed work will proceed once clearance arrives. The disclosure signals that the university, currently the state's apex body for medical education, is being positioned as a future tertiary-care hub rather than a purely academic institution.

Five colleges now, two more coming — and a cancer institute in Haldwani

Dhami mapped out Uttarakhand's expanding medical footprint: the state currently runs five government medical colleges, with two more under construction. It also operates nine nursing colleges and three nursing schools. Super-specialty services are being scaled up at the medical colleges in Dehradun, Haldwani and Srinagar. A modern cancer institute is being built in Haldwani. The most capital-intensive project on the list is an AIIMS satellite centre at Kichha in Udham Singh Nagar district, being constructed at a cost of ₹351 crore — intended to bring advanced care to a densely populated Terai belt currently underserved by tertiary facilities.

Telemedicine, heli-ambulances and anti-cheating law

For remote mountain communities, Dhami pointed to telemedicine and heli-ambulance services as the delivery mechanisms of last resort. On the workforce side, the state is actively recruiting doctors, nursing officers and paramedics into government hospitals and medical colleges, while simultaneously improving training infrastructure. Dhami also cited the state's strict anti-copying law — enacted to curb irregularities in recruitment examinations — as proof of the government's commitment to merit-based hiring in healthcare.

From Selaqui to Germany: Sapna Rana's story as policy proof

Dhami reserved particular warmth for the government's overseas placement programme. He recounted a personal conversation with Sapna Rana, an Uttarakhand healthcare worker who trained in German-language skills and secured employment in Germany. The programme, which provides foreign-language training to health professionals, placed 60 candidates in Japan in 2023 and 13 candidates in Germany in 2025. Students from Uttarakhand are also serving at institutions such as AIIMS, PGI, Indian Railways and the Military Nursing Service. Health and Medical Education Minister Subodh Uniyal echoed the CM's remarks, affirming the state's sustained focus on both expanding infrastructure and strengthening existing facilities.

With a ₹351 crore AIIMS satellite centre under construction in Kichha and a super-specialty hospital proposal awaiting New Delhi's nod, the question is no longer whether Uttarakhand is investing in healthcare — it is how quickly those investments translate into doctors and beds that the state's mountain communities can actually reach.