Major boost to Health Mission

Very heartening news has come in disclosing Centre’s frugal financial assistance to the State to improve all facets of health services in the State including health establishments on district level. A sum of 500 crore rupees has been approved by the Department of Health and Family Welfare for the current financial year. The reassuring thing is that an increase from Rs  398 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 500 crore in current financial year has been approved on the basis of good performance of the State in the sphere of health services. We are hopeful that if utilized properly and on time, according to the guidelines provided by the Union Ministry, there should be a radical change in the health services in our State. Almost all aspect of health services like recruitment of faculties, skilled and non skilled manpower, maternity hospitals, improvement by way of additional structures and staff and the rest of it are envisaged under the allocations made for the current year. We are happy to note that the Union Ministry of Health and Family Planning is not satisfied only on the proper utilization of allocated funds but also that the norms that had been laid down have been meticulously followed.
This should work as a strong incentive to the Health services in the State and the overall condition of hospitals, dispensaries, laboratories and polyclinics will improve considerably. The more satisfying part is that the scheme envisages improvement of health services in rural areas in particular. Most of our district hospitals are dismally short of staff trained as well as untrained. Essential equipment and machines are dysfunctional. Services of surgeons and gynecologists are not available in rural areas and expectant mothers have to travels scores of miles to bring themselves to a place where medication is available. These are the deficits we are facing and with the allocations most of these deficiencies should be removed.
This apart, it needs to be said that the State Health Department needs to bring about many unavoidable reforms in the administrative structure that would make the functionality at hospitals and medical centers more meaningful. The chronic problem of trained medical staff avoiding rendering service in rural areas has to be overcome through some strong legislation and motivation. Promotion of medical faculties under prescribed rules and within time frame is of utmost importance so that no injustice is done to anybody. An effective mechanism is to be provided so that cleanliness and sanitation of hospitals is standardized. A recurring complaint in urban and rural hospitals is that medicines supplied by the department are stolen and sold to private chemists and druggists. There are many other administrative complaints which the departmental authorities need to address an urgent basis.

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