*Rs 120 cr earmarked for up-gradation of institutions
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 8: Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved Rs 689.53 crore assistance to Jammu and Kashmir under its flagship scheme of National Health Mission (NHM) for the current financial year. With this, the Union Government has affected an increase of Rs 189.53 crore over the allocation of previous financial year.
Significantly, the Union Ministry has kept Rs 120 crore for construction/ up-gradation of various health institutions across the State and substantial amount for running of advanced/ basic life support ambulances, which are the foremost requirement particularly in the hilly areas where road traffic accidents are taking place more frequently.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that last year the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had sanctioned Rs 500 crore to Jammu and Kashmir under National Health Mission keeping in view timely utilization of funds in 2013-14 and strict adherence to the guidelines of Department of Expenditure.
For the current financial year, the Union Ministry has increased assistance by more than 37% and pegged the total allocation to Jammu and Kashmir at Rs 689.53 crore. This amount includes Rs 67.37 crore committed unspent balance for ongoing activities of the previous financial year.
However, the Government of India has made it clear that out of this amount, activities amounting to Rs 114.64 crore shall be taken up only after availability of resources as additional State Share and would also require confirmation from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, sources said while disclosing that to avail Rs 114.16 crore, the State Government would have to make available around Rs 50 crore.
To ensure that existing health institutions in Jammu and Kashmir continue to meet the requirement of the ailing people and to check referrals of patients from remote to urban areas, an amount of Rs 120.81 crore has been earmarked for construction/up-gradation of various health institutions.
Giving break-up, sources said that Rs 14 crore would be spent on Maternity Hospitals at Jammu and Srinagar, Rs 25.22 crore for District Hospitals, Rs 61.69 crore for Community Health Centres, Rs 12.23 crore for Primary Health Centres, Rs 7.01 crore for Sub-Centres and Rs 0.65 crore for strengthening of labour rooms.
They further informed that out of the sanctioned amount, Rs 77.24 crore will be available for utilization in the first instance and the remaining amount of Rs 43.57 crore has been authorized subject to additional resources becoming available due to increase in the State Share.
According to the sources, Rs 75 lakh has been approved for construction of Drug Ware House at Srinagar.
Among the important announcements are Rs 7.17 crore for running of 150 advanced/basic life support ambulance through 102 dial number, 5% hike in remuneration for call categories of staff—-doctors, paramedics and staff of programme management units and Rs 1000 per month assured incentive for ASHA workers.
Stating that all old schemes including JSY, JSSK and RBSK would continue in the current year, sources said that the Ministry has kept Rs 11.22 crore for continuation of services to urban poor, slum dwellers and brick kiln workers in seven towns where the National Health Mission scheme has already been launched.
They further informed that funds to the tune of Rs 12.60 crore have been approved as Untied Grant for all District Hospitals, CHCs, PHCs, Sub-Centres etc as per the level of expenditure in the previous year.
For mainstreaming of AYUSH, an amount of Rs 23.75 crore has been approved out of which Rs 3.34 crore would be spent for procurement of AYUSH drugs. Moreover, Rs 99.31 lakh has been earmarked for quality assurance activities at State level and in 14 districts of the State and Rs 491.50 lakh for procurement of Operation Theatre equipments for various health institutions on the gap analysis exercise.
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