Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: Opposition National Conference (NC) Members today staged walkout from Assembly twice protesting against the Deputy Speaker, Nazir Ahmed Gurezi for not giving them time to speak in the House.
As Deputy Speaker called Peoples Conference MLA Bashir Ahmed Dar to speak on grants of Health and Medical Education, Independent MLA, Hakim Mohammed Yasin stood up to protest that he being the senior member was not given the time to speak. Despite Deputy Speaker’s request to be seated and he will be allowed to take part in the debate, the MLA protested saying that being a senior most member he was not allowed to speak and staged a walk out.
When Mr Gurezi asked member to come back, NC’s Ali Mohammed Sagar too stood up from his seat and said when senior members will be ignored they have no alternative except to stage a walkout in protest. Sagar also raised his protest and said that being a senior most member of the House he too was not allowed to clarify when a member of House leveled some allegation against him in the House yesterday. “Besides, I was not allowed to speak on grants being also ’’, he added.
He was supported by his party colleague Javed Rana and he too stood up from his seat. Rana alleged that there was no decorum in the House. Shamima Firdose of NC also stood up and later they too staged walkout.
Mr Gurezi however asked three senior members of the House, Mohammed Akbar Lone, G M Saroori and Ch Sukhnandan please bring them back in the House. But in the meantime they had left the Assembly complex and did not return. However Shamima Firdose returned to House after some time to participate in the debate.
As the debate continued when Mubarak Gul was speaking on grants and he was asked by Deputy Speaker to conclude, the MLA protested saying that he has some more points to bring in the notice of the Government. Mr Gurezi while interrupting the member said that he had already spoken for ten minutes and other members of the House too have to speak so he should take the seat now. The agitated member said that he too was Speaker and the members are not being given the time to speak. He lodged a strong protest against the Deputy Speaker and staged the walkout. He was followed by Shamima Firdose who too accused the Deputy Speaker of not giving time to members to speak and raise their issues. Despite Gurezi’s appeal to Shamima to come back as she would be given the time the member did not return. They were also followed by their Party colleague Abdul Majid Larni.
Earlier taking part in discussions some opposition as well as ruling alliance members criticized the working of the Ministry.
PDP’s Abdul Majid Padder took the Department of Health Services to task for shifting the SDH Hospital Damhal Hanjipora in Kulgam district from present place of Hospital to one and half kms away in a secluded area on a hill top. He demanded that Rs five crore spent on it be recovered from the officers responsible for the same.
He criticized the Director Health Services Kashmir for his style of working and said his repeated pleas to construct the Hospital at the present place where SDH is functioning was not conceded as it is difficult for the patients to reach the hill top in a secluded area.
He also accused the Director Health Services Kashmir of not responding his phone calls despite he being a public representative and demanded action against him.
Congress MLA Usman Majid while taking the Health Department to task said that the District Hospital Bandipora on which work was started in 2004 has not been completed till date though its completion time was 2012. The cost of the construction of this Hospital has now escalated and reached to 36 crore. He said one doctor in Bandipora has become a nuisance as he had thrashed a BMO and Department instead of taking action against him has placed him on a plum post there.
CLP leader, Nawang Rigzin Jora, while criticizing the coalition accused it of eroding the credibility of SKIMS, Soura. He said there were three renowned doctors one was Director, AIIMS, one was the Director PGI Chandigarh and one from DG Health Services GoI who were in the Governing Body of SKIMS. The coalition government replaced them by three doctors from State out of whom one’s case was sanctioned for prosecution by Government another too has a case against him while the third one being a lady doctor being the relative of Finance Minster is also the most junior doctor. So she is not eligible for being a member of the Governing Body of the institute, he added.
Jora expressed apprehensions that how Government in this way can run the SKIMS effectively while the senior doctors of premier institutes have been replaced. He said these doctors could have been of immense use to the Institute as they could give good advice in running it efficiently from time to time. While opposing the Government decision he said the Director SKIMS is the secretary of the Governing body and his subordinate doctors have been appointed in Governing Body which has no logic at all.
The Congress leader while lauding the Government in arresting the infant mortality rate, said State has also shown down word trend in Leprosy and polio cases which is encouraging but the 900 ambulances in the State are of no use as they have become like “Chakda’’ an outdated vehicles and can’t take patients to hospitals.
He wanted to know what happened to the claims made by the Government for last two years of brining the critical care ambulances in the State.
He said the NHRM has been converted in NHM and there are no dearth of funds from GoI but how will the funds come when you don’t pursue.
Jora while taking serious exception to misbehavior done with a MBBS student in GMC Jammu demanded action against the culprits who harassed and humiliated her. He said Department has failed to take action and asked the Minster to take action against the culprits.
The Congress leader also demanded setting up of cancer Hospital at Leh as there is high rate of cancer cases in the Ladakh region.
Devender Rana of NC demanded that mechanism be framed to have an action taken report on whatever suggestions are given by members during debate on grants in the House so that the Legislators role becomes more effective. He demanded that doctors being the professionals demand respect and be given their due place in the society. Till doctors are not given their due place the delivery system will not improve, he added.
He also demanded framing of an Advisory team to give suggestions which can give their suggestions how to better the system. He also demanded strengthening of Rehbar-e-Sehat. He demanded information about the performance of Medical Corporation.
Sat Sharma of BJP said that said since 2005 Central funds are being received for hospitals but the same being misutilized. The infrastructure has been created but there are no doctors. He made it clear that outside doctors will not come to serve in AIIMS in the State and doctors from within be appointed and this issue be taken seriously. He demanded establishing of Bio metric Engineering Department in the State and said out of two medical colleges in the State and one medical institute no institution has bio metric engineering.
Pawan Gupta demanded critical care ambulances in the State. He said the trauma Centre at Udhampur lacks basic infrastructure and demanded posting of doctors and para medical staff in far flung areas of the district.
Rajiv Jasrotia of BJP took Government to task in delaying the foundation stone of Medical College in Kathua. He said if it ahs been decided that medical college will be constructed near the DH Kathua then why such a long delay and demanded that the foundation stone be laid at an earliest.
However all members across party lines lauded the Minster and Department for maintain best medicare services during turmoil in the Valley saying if any Department functioned during that period in Kashmir that was Health and Medical Education Department. The doctors and paramedical staff did tremendous work in saving the lives of injured people, they added.
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