*580 posts of doctors lying vacant in Jammu
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 18: A total 580 posts of doctors of various categories are lying vacant in various hospitals of Jammu region while a new Doctors Service Policy is coming up shortly to ensure availability of medicos in hilly and remote areas of the State.
While replying to the question of BJP member Ashok Khajuria, PDP member Saifuddin Bhat and subsequent supplementaries of other members in the Upper House today, the Health Minister said that about 580 posts of senior consultants, consultants, medical officers, dental Surgeons etc are lying vacant in various hospitals of Jammu region under Directorate of Health Services Jammu. They included 347 posts of Medical officers, 29 posts of dental surgeons ten posts of senior consultants and 194 posts of consultants. He said out of the sanctioned strength of 2182, only 1603 doctors are in place.
The Minister said that most of the doctors prefer to go outside for more money and do not want to serve here. Most of the doctors also prefer to serve at Srinagar or Jammu or at major towns and do not want to go to remote and backward areas despite the fact that they take seats on reserved category. The Government is shortly coming out with Doctors Service Policy and this will come out shortly, most probably during this Budget Session. Every doctor will be made to serve in hard areas, he maintained.
He said the efforts will also be made to fill up vacant posts of para-medical staff on contractual basis through NHM.
The Minister also informed that a high-end Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan machine worth Rs 23 crore has been made operational in SKIMS, Soura on January 7 this year for the convenience of cancer patients, adding that PET-Scan is a machine that is used to detect cancerous tissues and cells in body.
Replying to a question of Saif-ud-Din Bhat and supplementary question by legislators Qaiser Jamsheed Lone and Vibodh Gupta, the Minister said that the Union Government has sanctioned Rs 120 crore for establishment of two State Level Cancer Institute’s one each in Jammu and Srinagar. He further informed that it has also sanctioned Rs 45 crore for establishment of three district level Cancer Centres at Kishtwar, Udhampur and Kupwara districts.
Bhagat informed that the Union Government has launched several schemes to extend financial assistance for treatment of cancer patients, adding that there is need to sensitize the masses about these schemes.
Replying to main question, Bali Bhagat informed the House that around 5731 patients suffering from cancer have been registered during 2017 in the State. He further informed that tobacco, poor personal hygiene, unsanitary living conditions, low immunity, consumption of adulterated food, fruits and vegetables laden with pesticides, environmental pollutions are the major risk factor for cancers besides breast and colon cancer are increasing due to change in lifestyle, late age at first child birth; obesity, fatty diet low in fiber, increased consumption of red meat and sedentary life style are the main causes contributing in this life consuming disease.
“Change in dietary habits and life style are the main reasons of increasing in diabetes mellitus type-2”, he informed.
Referring to the benefits being provided to the BPL/ poor families for Cancer treatment, minister said the poor/ BPL category patients are covered under various schemes like: Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, Medical Aid Trust, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram and Cancer Treatment Management Fund for Poor. All BPL / poor patients can avail financial assistance under these schemes.
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