STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Alleging discrimination with Jammu region on account of advanced Medicare facilities, Pawan Gupta MLA Udhampur on Friday sought advanced healthcare facilities for the people of this region of the State.
He was speaking during the debate on the floor of the Assembly in case of demand for Health and Medical Education.
Pawan counted the lack of medical facilities in Jammu region despite assurances from the Government during the last Budget Session.
Assailing the apathy of the Government, he focused on the judgment of the High Court of J&K in case A.V Gupta verses State which directed to provide cancer diagnoses specialists and PET Scan Machine in Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu. He also said that GMC is also lacking Modular O.T., C-Arm X-ray in emergency, Consultant Room, Outdated Traction Table, implements, medicines, adequate MRI Machine and C.T., and Heart and Lung Machines thereby forcing the Jammu people to visit Punjab at exorbitant rates though such facilities are available in Kashmir.
Pawan said that the Trauma Centre at Udhampur is still non-functional because of the apathies of the State in allotment of required funds for Central A.C. and manifold gas piping besides lack of field staff required for Trauma, ICU and CCU. “Although the Minister for Health assured on the floor of this House in last Budget at Srinagar for providing critical care ambulance but till date the same has not been provided”, he pointed out. He also highlighted the shortage of vehicles in Udhampur Districts required for transportation of patients and dead bodies. He however mentioned about one old Hearse, which was donated by Late Lala Shiv Charan Gupta MLA Udhampur about 17 years back and lastly by himself out of his C.D.F.
Gupta further took to task the Government for discriminating Jammu in allocation of funds with Jammu getting only Rs. 860.27 crore whereas for Kashmir it is Rs. 1502.11 crore under Revenue Head 2017-18 and Rs. 63.97 crores for Jammu against Rs. 104.26 crore for Kashmir under Capex Budget. Again the Commissioner has reserved Rs. 330.66 crore under Revenue Head and Rs.610.17 crore under Capex Budget including Rs.300 crore as unknown reserves, other officers of the State has also reserved Rs. 36.58 crore and Rs. 13 crore for undefined allocations.
In case of demands on Animal Husbandry/Sheep Husbandry Department and Fisheries Department, Gupta highlighted the meager funding besides inviting the attention of the Government towards Sahiwal breed/Gir breed, diseases regarding Cows, encroachment of grazing lands, lack of sheep breading farms and suggested for invitation of cooperative movement in merchandise of the products to install Weaving Training Centres in Udhampur and creation of new centres for animal husbandry.
