Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma conducted a surprise inspection of Outpatient Department (OPD) services at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital on Saturday. During the visit, he reviewed medical arrangements, availability of medicines, diagnostic facilities, and cleanliness across various OPD departments.
He also interacted with patients and their attendants and, based on their feedback, directed officials to undertake necessary improvements in healthcare services. The Chief Minister arrived at SMS Hospital unexpectedly upon his return to Jaipur from a visit to Bhilwara.
He inspected OPD services at Dhanvantari Bhawan, including the Medicine, Orthopaedics, Cardiology, and Neurology departments. During the inspection, Sharma noted that SMS Hospital is one of the country’s premier healthcare institutions, serving not only patients from Rajasthan but also those from several other states.
Given the increasing patient load, he emphasised the need to further expand services and leverage technology to ensure convenient, efficient, and accessible healthcare for all. He directed the hospital administration to establish testing and medicine counters within the respective OPD departments so that patients do not have to travel to different locations within the hospital for essential services.
He also instructed officials to ensure adequate seating arrangements, availability of drinking water, and high standards of cleanliness throughout the hospital premises for the convenience of patients and their attendants. Speaking to the media, the Chief Minister said the state government is continuously strengthening healthcare services at SMS Hospital to ensure timely, high-quality treatment for patients.
He noted that healthcare facilities at the hospital have witnessed significant improvements over the past two and a half years and commended the Medical Department and hospital administration for their efforts. At the same time, he emphasised that further corrective measures would be undertaken wherever there was scope for improvement.
Among those present during the inspection were Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health Department; Deepak Maheshwari, Principal, SMS Medical College; Mrinal Joshi, Superintendent, SMS Hospital; along with senior doctors and hospital staff.