* Reviews status of 4G network expansion
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 28: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today held a meeting of Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department to look into the identification of blocks facing acute shortage of medics there besides deliberating upon the ways to address the issue.
Besides the Secretary, H&ME Department, the meeting was attended by MD, NHM; Principals of Medical Colleges; Director, Coordination; Director Health Services, Kashmir/ Jammu; Director, Ayush and other concerned officers in the Department.
The Chief Secretary first had an overview of the availability of staff and its strength at each level of hierarchy. He then scrutinized blocks in the peripheral districts that face critical deficiency in terms of availability of doctors there.
While deliberating further over this matter, the Chief Secretary observed that multiple steps should be taken to fill the gap. He advised for framing a roadmap to motivate the young professionals to serve in these far-off areas of the UT.
Dulloo also asked for creating provisions to advance certain incentives like Non-Practising Allowance (NPA) to such medical professionals on the basis of the days they attend their duties in such remote areas.
He also favoured for providing them other amenities and benefits as additional motivating forces to serve in these areas. He urged them to look into establishment of telemedicine kiosks in these health facilities so that people can seek necessary health advices from the respective district hospitals or nearest medical colleges.
He enjoined upon the department to rationalise the District Residency Program (DRP) so that each district has requisite number of doctors available under it. Moreover he advocated for beginning of such residency programs in Sub-district Hospitals in remote blocks of J&K.
The Secretary, H&ME, Dr Syed Abid Rashid Shah took this occasion to highlight certain initiatives of the department to ensure availability of Consultants and Medical Officers in majority of the health facilities.
He also threw light on different steps the department is contemplating to address the issue of unavailability of doctors in far-flung areas of J&K. He gave out that currently the UT has overall availability of 71% doctors across different health facilities with good number of Consultants, Medical Officers and Dental Surgeons in position as per the sanctioned strength.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary chaired a meeting of different stakeholders to take stock of the works started for bringing the uncovered villages under 4G network coverage.
Those who attended the meeting included Principal Secretary, IT and Finance Departments; Principal Secretary, PDD; Principal Secretary, APD and Forest Departments; Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD; Secretary, R&B; Secretary, RDD; Addl DG, BSNL; CGM, BSNL; MD, JPDCL/KPDCL and other concerned officers.
The Chief Secretary took this occasion to emphasise on the implementing agency to make all the towers go on air that had been erected so far. He urged them that the local administration would extend every possible assistance in terms of seeking the necessary NoCs besides provisioning of amenities like electricity to the sites of these towers.
He directed the Power Development Department to take measures for making the electric connections available to the telecom service providers as soon as they complete the work on the installation of towers there.
Dulloo also enjoined upon the BSNL to reconcile the figures about the untraceable/uninhabited villages with the Revenue Department so that no habitation remains shadow area at the culmination of this scheme.
The CGM, BSNL informed the meeting that out 852 sites proposed by BSNL, land at 722 sites were given by the Revenue Department. He further made out that civil work was started at 593 sites with tower installation completed at 415 locations.
Later, the Chief Secretary, while reviewing the status of Bharat Net for providing broadband services to Gram Panchayats, stressed on the executing agency to apprise the local administration about the functioning of the internet connectivity in each GP besides the usage in terms of data consumption registered by these Panchayats.
He advised the Department to evolve a mechanism with private players who would use this network to provide services to the villagers along with fetching some revenue to government simultaneously. He asked to give the timeline for completing the 2nd phase of this programme.
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