Rather inaugurates ANM School

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 16: Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Abdul Rahim Rather in presence of the Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma and Minister for Information and Technology, Aga Ruhullah, today inaugurated a State of the Art ANM Training School at Khanpora, Budgam. The Institute is one of the 12 ANM training schools sanctioned by the Centre for Jammu and Kashmir State to produce trained paramedical staff for improving patient health care in various hospitals across the State.
Speaking on the occasion, Rather said that the training institute has been constructed at a cumulative cost of about Rs 3.90 crore and is equipped with all the requisite facilities including modern labs, lecture halls, recreation hall and adequate boarding and lodging facilities for the trainees.
Highlighting the significance of para-medical staff in the patient health care, Mr. Rather said that the training school will provide facilities to the youth of district Budgam to get training in various para-medical courses adding that requisite posts/faculty would be sanctioned immediately so that training courses are started in the institute during the current year. He said the Coalition Government is concerned about improving patient care system in the hospitals, adding that for the first time in the history of the State, 6500 posts of doctors and para-medicos in Health and Medical Education Departments were created during the last three years, despite huge financial implications.
Sham Lal Sharma while highlighting the achievements made in improving the health care system in the hospitals said that from 1948 to 2009 there were only 10 ANM Schools in the State. After taking the charge of Health Department 12 ANM schools, three Nursing Colleges, one Unani College at Srinagar and one Ayurvedic College in Jammu were got sanctioned from the Centre, he added.
He said about 1200 trained para-medicos in various disciplines shall be produced annually in these upcoming ANM schools.
Aga Ruhullah, while thanking the Health Minister for construction of ANM School in Budgam said that it would provide much needed facilities to the youth of the district to shape their career in Health sector and will also help in overcoming the un-employment problem.
Besides a large number of senior citizens, Mission Director, NRHM, Dr. Yash Paul Sharma, Director Health Services, Kashmir, Dr. Saleem-ur-Rehman, Director, Family Welfare Dr. T. K. Moza, Director ISM, Dr. Kabir Dar, Project Director AIDS Control Society, Dr. Rakesh Khajuria, MD, J&K Housing Board, Mr. Daleep Thussu, Chief Medical Officer, Budgam Dr. Aleem-ud-Din were also present on the occasion.