Kathua to develop as cost effective holistic healthcare centre of North India: Dr Jitendra

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh accompanied by senior officials during a visit to the site of upcoming Homeopathic Medical College at Jasrota in Kathua on Sunday.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh accompanied by senior officials during a visit to the site of upcoming Homeopathic Medical College at Jasrota in Kathua on Sunday.

Work begins on Rs 80 crore Homeopathic College

Avtar Bhat

KATHUA, Mar 10: Union Minister in PMO with independent charge of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh today announced that Rs 80 crore Centrally funded North India’s first Government Homoeopathic Medical College, will come up in Jasrota area of district Kathua where work for the boundary wall has already started.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
The announcement was made by the Minister during his visit to proposed site of the College in Jasrota village near here, today. The visit to the area was in continuation to Dr Jitendra Singh’s consistent spree of development even after the declaration of his mandate for Lok Sabha, from Kathua, Udhampur and Doda constituency.
The Minister was briefed by the engineers and senior experts from the Department of Ayush about the institution.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the programme, Dr Jitendra Singh said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave impetus and thrust to Indian System of Medicines (ISM) and healthcare in the country, by promoting Yoga and Millet at International level, Kathua will develop as cost effective holistic healthcare centre of India.
He said best class health facility will be available in Kathua where Government Medical College has already been established by this Government, followed by facility being provided by TATA Cancer Institute and establishment of Homeopathic College.
Dr Jitendra Singh while taking a jibe at earlier Governments alleged that prior to 2014 the situation in Kathua district was so bad that there was not even an Orthopaedic Surgeon available in district Hospital Kathua and the patients for plastering were also referred to Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu.
The Minister alleged that the district was victim of discriminatory and vote bank politics of earlier ruling parties who had a biased mindset and where not interested in development of this entire belt.
It was the result of their this mindset of these parties who ruled at Centre and in the erstwhile State for over 60 years that the youth living on International Border right from Lakhanpur (Kathua) to Akhnoor were deprived of four percent reservations. “It was the Modi Government which has done away with this anomaly and injustice soon after coming to power in 2014”, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh reiterated that the agenda of the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Lok Sabha constituency, which was taken at hand soon after he was elected as Member of Parliament in 2014, will continue uninterrupted till the date of the declaration of election Code of Conduct and will resume immediately after the Code of Conduct is lifted.
Dr Jitendra Singh expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before whom this requisition was put, and said it was a matter of pride for the people of Kathua that North India’s first Government Homoeopathic College at a cost of Rs 70-80 crore will come up here. He said the institution will be spread over an area of more than 8 acres of land, adding that the adjoining three acres may also be added to the existing premises in due course of time.
“The proposed structure will include a hospital complex, a college, an administrative block and one hostel each for male and female students”, Dr Jitendra Singh informed. He further informed that the open space will be utilised later on for construction of an auditorium, playground, etc.
Dr Jitendra Singh said it will not only be a great boon for aspirants of Homoeopathy degree in North India, which was not available earlier, but this will also provide cost effective treatment to needy patients. “It will also be in keeping with Modi Government’s healthcare approach which involves synergizing allopathic with Ayush streams of medicine, including Homoeopathy, Ayurveda and Naturopathy”, the Minister added.
Dr Jitendra Singh stated that the experience after COVID has further consolidated this view that traditional Indian methods of medicine and cure have a panacea value. Highlighting the medical infrastructure of Kathua built in the last 10 years, Dr Jitendra Singh said the district now has a Government Medical College and a Cancer Treatment facility being provided by Tata Memorial Centre, Bombay. “The addition of a Government Homoeopathic College will make Kathua an integrated and cost effective healthcare centre of North India in times to come”, he underlined.
His first five-year term, Dr Jitendra Singh said he was devoted to making up for the lapses of the past Governments including the Shahpur Kandi project which had been held up for the last 30 years causing hardship for the people of Kathua. The second five-term, he said, was devoted to setting up new institutions like Centrally funded Government Medical Colleges, first ever Seeding Processing Plant, the present Homoeopathic College etc. The next five-year term, he said, will be devoted to consolidating these gains and developing the region as North India’s most attractive destination from the point of view of education, trade, tourism and revenue.
Earlier, Dr Jitendra Singh visited a congregation of Jasrota community being held in the vicinity of the under-construction college. He was accompanied by officers and DDC Vice Chairman, Raghunandan Singh, other DDC members, PRIs, BJP president Gopal Mahajan, general secretary, Rajesh Mehta, senior leader Prem Nath Dogra, Manjeet Jasrotia and others.