Govt mulls National Health Protection Scheme for poor
State times News
JAMMU: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Bali Bhagat today said in Legislative Assembly that health sector is prime focus of the Government and several initiatives have been taken for strengthening the health infrastructure across the State to ensure better medicare facilities to the people.
Replying to the discussion on the grants of the Health and Medical Education Department in the house, the Minister said that despite hard times the department has been making concerted efforts to extend better health services to the people on ground. He said that during 2016 Kashmir unrest, the department exhibited its best performance and provided medical facilities to as many as 9042 patients by various health institutions while as 2895 patients were provided treatment in the tertiary level hospitals. He further said that around 6118 patients undergone major/minor surgeries across the valley.
“Right from Doctor to paramedics and field staff performed their duties efficiently by way of providing best possible treatment to the patients during the period of turmoil”, the Minister said.
Giving details of human resource engaged in this pivotal sector, the Minister said that the department has the best medical professionals rendering their services to the people and serious efforts are being made to fill the vacant posts in all the health institutions in a systematic manner.
“To equip the health institutions with required human resource, as many as 4208 posts of doctors and para-medics have been referred to the concerned recruiting agencies for their early selection”, the Minister said.
To further supplement the manpower in various levels of health facilities in the State, additional manpower has been hired on contractual basis under National Health Mission which includes 1454 doctors and 5499 para-medics, said the Minister.
Listing the measures to expand the medical reach to the patients and to overcome the paucity of professionals in future, on the recommendations of State Government, the Government of India has sanctioned as many as five Medical Colleges at Kathua Doda, Rajouri, Baramulla and Anantnag. The works on three medical colleges at Anantnag, Baramulla and Rajouri have started and the requisite funds have been released to the executing agencies.
Similarly, the work on recently announced two AIIMS in the State, one each at Srinagar and Jammu has also been set in motion and funds to the tune of Rs 2000 crore each have been approved under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, said the Minister.
“143 hospital projects are presently under execution involving a total cost of Rs 1367.12 crore against which Rs 621.80 crore has been utilized up to ending March, 2016”, the Minister informed.
He said that two new 200-bedded Maternity Hospitals are coming up at Govt. Hospital Gandhi Nagar Jammu and Bemina in Srinagar at a cost of Rs 50.00 crore each adding that two Sub-District Hospitals at SDH Dooru, Anantnag in Kashmir Division and SDH Basholi, Kathua in Jammu Division have been taken up for up gradation as Model Hospitals are expected to be made functional during the current financial year.
“During the year 2014, 826 Sub-centers were sanctioned under NRHM, out of which 683 have been made functional “he added.
The Minister said the Government has also streamlined the functioning of the Drug and Food Control Organization and it has stepped up activities of carrying out special drives to ensure quality drugs and consumable products to the consumers across the State. With a view to reduce the manual interface and to bring trenchancy in the system, the online licensing and registration of food business operators has been started.
During the current financial year, two Food Safety Appellate Tribunals (FSAT), one each in Kashmir and Jammu in light of the powers conferred vide SRO-42 have been established to stop food adulteration and to fast track the process of litigation in cases like sub standard and misbranded food items.
The Minister thanked the members for their valuable inputs and suggestions and assured the house for early redressal of the issues raised during the discussion. The house lauded the performance of the health department during the disturbance in Kashmir valley.
Later, the House passed the grants of Health & Medical Education Departments, for the year 2017-18, which were moved by the Minister, amounting to Rs 350874.34 lakhs with voice vote.