In a generous gesture, Union Health and Family Planning Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced several incentives to boost medical services in the State. He was addressing a rally in Nowshera which he visited to commemorate the seventh death anniversary of former Congress leader Master Beli Ram. Azad is on a four day visit to Jammu region and has a three day schedule in Doda-Bhaderwah and Kishtwar towns.
The Union Minister said that Centre-State share under the scheme during the first seven years of its implementation was of 85:15 ratio and as decided during the launch of the National Rural Health Mission scheme in 2005, the Union Government reduced its share from 85 per cent to 75 per cent while extending the life of the scheme by five years from current financial year. “However, we have decided not to put any financial burden on three hilly states of the country-Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal keeping in view the difficulties being faced because of tough terrain”, the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister said while disclosing that the Central share in respect of these states has been increased from 85 per cent to 90 per cent and state share decreased from 15 per cent to 10 per cent.
Azad has been very frugal in providing the State with many schemes in order to boost healthcare delivery. In particular, the idea of bringing relief to the hilly and remote areas is laudable. J&K is a hilly state and a large segment of her population especially in the Pir Panchal range is economically backward. This is also the constituency of Azad. It will be recollected that he is the initiator of two super speciality hospitals one each in Jammu and Srinagar. At Nowshera he announced that the 50-bed local hospital would be upgraded to 100-bed hospital and the Union Government would finance it. He also announced that some more schemes would be announced in September that would add to healthcare facilities. Supply of free medicines to the patients was also under his consideration.
We have noted with satisfaction that the Union Health Minister has been providing health facilities liberally to the State. He is making best use of his position as a minister to serve the people. But the problem is that the situation on the ground does not help in allowing the benefit of all these new schemes and incentives reach common man. For example he has himself expressed displeasure on extraordinary delay in bringing the super speciality hospital to completion in Jammu as well as in Srinagar within time schedule. He laments that there was no paucity of funds for new medical and healthcare schemes but there was the lack of will power and management on the part of the State Government. As we know State Congress is already divided into two factions and despite a fervent appeal by the Congress chief in the recent convention, there are no indications to suggest that factionalism has been uprooted and the Congress is working in unison in the State. This is one side of the picture. At the same time, we find that the State Government is not willing to take strong measures of eradicating corruption in various departments including the health department in the State. For example, it is known to all that doctors are unwilling to serve in rural and far flung areas where there services are badly needed. They want to remain glued to the urban areas. The Government does not have any effective and viable scheme to change this behavioural pattern of the doctors just because the doctors have clout in the policy making circles and many among them have strong political links and they are not disturbed. Sanctioning new hospitals, dispensaries, polyclinics etc. is good and commendable because we require these but it is also important that these are run efficiently and their delivery system is satisfactory and up to the standard. This part is taken care of by the state administration and the Union Health Minister cannot do anything about it. A sort of coordination between various agencies is lacking in our health department with the result that people are forced to look for medical assistance at private clinics which means big income to the doctors doing private practice.
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