AARYAN SHARMA
JAMMU: It was in February 2014 when former Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had sanctioned setting up of four medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir but it took almost two long years for the Centre to start working on ground zero.
On Sunday when Union Health Minister JP Nadda laid the foundation stone of three medical colleges in Rajouri, Anantnag, and Baramulla it brought back the focus on the need for augmenting the health care infrastructure in remote areas of the State.
At the same time questions arose that if the formal approval was granted way back in February 2014 why crucial time was wasted and at whose behest the construction of the medical colleges was halted.
Whether the State Government was delaying the completion of formalities or the Centre was sitting over the file, at a time when both the regions of the State fought a tough battle over the issue of setting up of AIIMS like institutions in the state.
The fact that both the existing medical colleges in Jammu and Srinagar were overburdened for a long time and catering to the rush of patients from neighboring districts, especially hilly areas weighed heavily on the policy makers while approving the proposal of medical colleges but no one really knows why and how crucial time was lost and construction of these institutions was delayed.
According to official sources, it was during Congress led UPA Government when former Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had even approved the budget of Rs 567 crores for three medical colleges (Rs 189 crores for each) for building state of art infrastructure and equipping the colleges with machinery and other necessary medical equipment including operation theaters.
The responsibility of the State and the Union Governments should also be fixed as the issue of health of common masses was more important than vested interests of handful of politicians who were running the mad race of taking credit for announcing the decision of setting up of medical colleges and fulfilling their poll promises by hiding the truth from the common masses.
