Shimla: Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) Shimla has emerged as a main medical care centre for extending help to unattended and poor patients who visit here for their medical treatment.

To provide free medical treatment for poor patients, Rogi Kalyan Samiti of Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla has established ‘Poor Patients Welfare Fund’. In the past seven months Rupees seven lakh has been spent for treatment of 190 poor and unattended patients.

Dr. Ramesh Chand, Senior Medical Superintendent, IGMC said that the expenditure on medicines being provided to these poor patients was being borne by the Poor Patients Welfare Fund. He said that a provision of Rs. 5000 per patient had been made for treatment of such patients.

He said that free medical tests, CT scan, MRI etc. facilities were also being provided to such poor patients. He said that these facilities were being provided only after the advice of concerned doctors, adding that this fund had benefited thousands of patients who were unable to bear cost of their treatment.