Chhattisgarh govt's 'Hamar Lab': A silent change in health care

The Chhattisgarh government’s “Hamar Lab”, an integrated health laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, is becoming a model for the country.

The scheme was launched in February 2020. Besides strengthening health services, it aims to give a sense of security to the people who need it most. Hence, it has been named “Hamar Lab”, which means “our lab” in the Chhattisgarh dialect.

Priyanka Shukla, a doctor-turned-bureaucrat, is the brain behind the scheme, which many states are keen to follow. Soon after joining the National Health Mission as director in February 2019, Shukla, who belongs to the 2009 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS),