Govt mulls National Health Protection scheme for poor
JAMMU: Minister for Health & 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 & 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.
Listing the achievements of the department, the Minister said that under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY), Super Specialty Hospital Srinagar has been completed at a cost of Rs 135 crore and made functional. Various specialties have been made available in the newly established institution like Neuro Surgery, Cardio Vascular Thoracic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Urology, Neurology, Gastroenterology and Nephrology for the patients. Similarly, Indira Gandhi Govt. Dental College/Hospital Jammu has been completed at a cost of Rs. 37.81 crore during the current financial year 2016-17.
The Minister said for the benefits of the cancer patients in the State, the GoI has sanctioned two State level Cancer Institute one each at Kashmir and Jammu at a cost of Rs 120 crore each. Similarly, three Cancer Care Centres have been sanctioned at Udhampur, Kishtwar and Kupwara at a cost of Rs 45 crore each. The requisite formalities are being submitted to GOI for securing the financial grants for establishment of these facilities.
In order to cope up with the shortage of nursing staff in the State, the Minister said that 11 ANM/ GNM Schools are being established in phase-I at various districts under Centrally Sponsored Scheme at a cost of Rs 37.95 crore and work on these schools is at different stages of completion. Under phase-II, ten more ANM/GNM Schools are being established in the State with an estimated cost of Rs. 23.56 crore, which stands released in full, he added.
To augment the network of ambulatory service in the state, as many as 136 Basic Life Support (BSL) ambulances have been provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India. These ambulances shall be used for running 102 services in the State. The process for procuring 20 Critical Care Ambulances has also been finalized, the Minister added.
In order to improve the maternity-child health care, several services have been made available under National Health Mission including cash benefits, free medicines, free diet, free transport, free diagnostic services are being provided to the patients. Under these initiatives, 926 children in the age group of 0-18 years were provided specialized treatment by premier institutions under NHM, he added.
“With the constant efforts of the NHM, the State has achieved a significant improvement in the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) over the period, which has fallen from 52 in 2006 to 26 in 2015, which is the highest amongst all the States in India. For this achievement, the Government of India has complimented the State and given incentive of 5 per cent hike in the overall grants for further improving the health services”. The Government of India has also appreciated the efforts of the State Government for making judicious use of funds on various schemes and provided special incentive of 4 per cent on the funds” said the Minister maintained.
With the sincere efforts of the department, the Leprosy and Polio have almost eliminated from the State, which is itself a testimony of good performance at all levels, the Minister asserted.
The Minister while enumerating one of the main initiative, said the department is going to launch new health insurance scheme “National Health Protection Scheme” to replace the existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) under which the expenditure on medical facilities of BPL and for senior citizens, an additional coverage of Rs. 30,000/- per senior citizen and poor family will be provided”, the Minister said.
The Government is also exploring possibilities to provide free diagnostic services in the state in line with the Government of India for which the budgetary provision of Rs 5 crore has been approved under NHM during the 2016-17. The budgetary provision for implementation of free drug policy in the government run health institutions has also been earmarked, said the Minister.
“Under a major reformative initiative, the Government has streamlined the process of procurement of medicines and diagnostic equipment in a most systematic and transparent manner and appropriately empowered the procurement agency namely J&K State Medical Supplies Corporation which has the sole mandate of fulfilling requirements of all the health institutions across the State “the minister said .
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.
Earlier, several legislators took part in discussion on Demand of Grants for H&ME departments. They include Neelam Kumar Lengah, Advocate Muhammad Yousuf Bhat, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Engineer Abdul Rashid, Dr. Gagan Bhagat, Raja Manzoor Ahmad, Pawan Kumar Gupta, Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, M. Y. Tarigami, Bashir Ahmad Dar, Dr Kirshen Lal, Javid Hassan Beig, Vikar Rasool Wani, Syed Aga Ruhallah, Dina Nath Bhagat, Yawar Ahmad Mir, Davinder Singh Rana, Usman Abdul Majid, Sat Paul Sharma, Abdul Majid Paddar, Altaf Ahmad Wani, Asgar Ali Karbalie, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Rajiv Jasrotia, Aijaz Ahmad Mir, Mubarak Gul, Ch. Mohammad Akram, Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal, Abdul Rahim Rather, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Mohammad Akbar Lone, Shakti Raj Parihar, Shah Mohammad Tantray, Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, Abdul Majid Larmi, Jewan Lal, Anjum Fazli, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, R. S. Pathania, G. M. Saroori, Rajeev Sharma, Ch. Qamar Hussain, Noor Mohammad Sheikh and Javid Mustafa Mir.
The cut motions which were moved by the members withdrew the same after the satisfactory reply by the Minister.
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.
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