Gopal Sharma/
Adil Lateef
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR, May 15: Union Health Minister J P Nadda today declared that the work on AIIMS at Vijaypur near Samba and Awantipur near Srinagar besides two premier Cancer Institutes in the State would be started shortly.
Laying foundation stone for the Govt Medical College at Rajouri in presence of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, MoS in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh besides others today, Mr Nadda said that setting up of a Medical College here would be a turning point in the field of Medical Education and development of these twin border districts. It will be a mile stone towards development and advancement in the health care of the people of this border belt.
Referring to his association with the J&K State, the Union Health Minister said that being from neighbouring State of Himachal Pradesh, he was frequent visitor to this area prior to become Minister. He was well aware of the hardships of the people. This will be the beginning of new era of heath care facilities for the people of these districts who earlier used to go to Jammu or even outside the state for Medical treatment. This facility will be available at their doorsteps now and that too, mostly from the doctors of their own area.
Giving details, Nadda said that this new Medical College being constructed at the cost of Rs 189 crore will have 100 MBBS seats and 300 bedded hospital. It is expected to be completed within two years. He further claimed that the foundation stones for the Medical College at Kathua and Doda would be laid soon after the land acquisition process is completed by the concerned authorities.
Earlier, there were 250 MBBS seats in J&K and its strength was enhanced to 400 few years back but with the setting up of five Medical Colleges at Rajouri, Anantnag, Baramulla, Doda and Kathua, 500 additional seats of MBBS will be available for the J&K students.
Nadda declared that work on AIIMS with the cost of Rs 1000 crore each at Vijaypur in district Samba and Awantipur near Srinagar would start soon. He said that files with regard to the two AIIMS in J&K are lying with his Ministry and the foundation stones for the same will be laid most likely by the Prime Minister very soon. He said that the work on the two proposed most advanced Cancer Institutes with the cost of Rs 120 crores each, one under GMC Jammu and another under SKIMS Srinagar will also be started shortly. Besides this, three tertiary Cancer Institutes are being set up at Kishtwar, Udhampur and Kupwara. Two Model Hospitals with advanced facilities would come up at Basohli and Dooru shortly.
The Health Minister said that BJP and PDP coalition in J&K is for the over all development with the support from all (Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas). He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes keen interest in the development of J&K and its issues. The Centre has already declared that funds is no problem for J&K and already a whopping package has been announced for this State by the PM. Under National Rural Health Mission/ National Urban Health Mission (Now NHM) the Centre has provided Rs 21,000 crore to the J&K State so far and in last two years funds to the tune of over Rs 689 crore were provided under the scheme. The Central Govt under Modi, wants that J&K should head towards development, peace and prosperity with great pace, Nadda maintained.
Giving good news to the thousands of Kidney patients in the J&K State, Nadda said that Modi Govt has decided to set up dialysis units in all the district hospitals shortly as number of kidney patients is increasing fast in the country which is a cause of serious concern. Under PPP mode, this facility is being provided in all the 22 districts of the State. While BPL category people will be provided free facility of dialysis, for the other general category patients, subsidized rates as per all India basis would be fixed. It will be cheaper as compared to private hospitals.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti while lauding former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said that when he ( Vajpayee) took the initiative to break the ice and moved to Lahore in a bus , the enemies of peace resorted to blood shed at Balshama village of bordering Rajouri and killed seven innocent people at marriage function in their attempt to sabotage the peace process. They also set on fire some majority community people of a family in the same area alongwith their house as they refused to give them shelter. Ms Mehbooba recalled that she had visited the village then and also lit the pyre of those dead and shared their grief.
That was the time of terror and turmoil when it was very difficult to think of even raising a college there. Today, in this area Universities and even today Medical College is going to be opened. The time has seen a see change. Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University has emerged as great seat of learning in the area. Mughal Road has been opened with the initiative of Mufti Sahib and if will be our sincere effort to carry forward the mission and dream of Late Mufti Sahib, Ms Mehbooba maintained.
She claimed that Centre has offered funds to the State with open heart and Modi Sahib has promised more funds for the State’s development. It was necessary, rather binding for both (BJP and PDP) to go head for providing effective governance to ensure development of the people and the state as people had given them mandate.
This alliance is for the development of the state and wipe out tears of the people. She asked that officers should prepare the projects and clear papers as early as possible so that State could get timely funding from the Centre. Ms Mehbooba said that she do not believes just in laying foundation stones like many others did in the past.
She would only lay foundation stones when the much needed ground works are done and funds raised for the same. The people have now started realising that this Govt does what ever it had promised earlier. There are still more than four and half years to deliver and this Government would come up to the expectations of the people, she added.
Minister in PMO Dr Jitender Singh said that foundation stones of three Medical College in J&K are going to be laid today at the time when Modi Govt is going to complete two years in the office hardly after ten days. It has been moving towards fulfilling its commitment towards the people of J&K state. Though these colleges were announced at the fag end of the UPA Govt’s term, yet the BJP led Govt seriously pursued this initiative. These colleges would be set up with the cost of about Rs 190 crore each and it is hoped that work would be completed with in time.
Dr Singh said that foundation stone of Kathua and Doda Medical Colleges was also proposed to be laid today but due to delay in the completion of paper work by J&K Govt, it could not happen today. He claimed that foundation stones of these two remaining colleges will also be laid shortly.
Referring to the challenge ahead after completion of building, Dr Singh who himself is a medico said that recurring cost will be the big challenge and for this some arrangements through PPP mode or otherwise, are needed to be made. He referred to the experiment as done recently in north east.
Dr Singh also suggested that for bringing good faculty from outside some additional facilities and incentives would have to be provided to the individuals. Moreover, Medical Council of India has provided option of service up to 70 years to the professors in medical line. Many of them are rendering services after retirement in private hospitals/ colleges and they should be roped in for seeking their services in these new Medical Colleges.
Minister for Health and Medical education Bali Bhagat, Minister for CAPD Ch Zulfkar, MP Jugal Kishore also spoke on the occasion. Minister for Sheep and Animal Husbandry A G Kohli, MoS Health Asiea Naqash, MLA Ch Qamar, MLA Nowshera Ravinder Raina, MLC Vibodh Gupta, MLC Suridner Choudhary and Vice Chairman of Pahari Board Kuldeep Gupta were also present.
This College is being set up at village Maira near Chhaprian,, about 4 kms away from Rajouri town on Palma-Kotranka-Budhal road.
Later, laying foundation stones of Medical Colleges at Anantnag and Baramulla in Kashmir, Mr Nadda said that the PDP-BJP Government is following the mantra of ‘Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikaas’ and is working for the development and prosperity of everyone in the State. He said the J&K is getting “special love and attention” from Prime Minister Modi and assured of all possible financial support for State’s welfare and development.
The Union Minister expressed happiness over laying the foundation stone of the Medical colleges. “I am happy that today I have come here for laying the foundation stone of new Medical colleges, one at Rajouri and two at Anantnag and Baramulla,” Nadda said, adding that two more Medical Colleges are coming up at Doda and Kathua and he has asked State Health Minister Bali Bhagat to complete required papers.
The Minister said that the Medical College in Anantnag will be started with 100 seats and later the seats for MD and MS would also be added. He further announced that a 300 bedded hospital would also come up at this Medical College.
Mr Nadda asked Health Minister Bali Bhagat and MoS Asiea Naqash to quickly send the proposals for two Cancer Institutes’ each one at Srinagar and Jammu and Cancer Units at Kupwara, Kishtwar and Udhampur so that Centre approves fun for them. He said Rs 45 crore would be allotted to each cancer unit.
He said the health infrastructure is important for the place like Kashmir which is national and international tourist destination. “We have to take it (development) forward to get Kashmir into mainstream. The Government of India in others sectors including National Highways, road connectivity, provide electricity to villages as well as health facilities has decided with PDP to script a new history of development,” he said.
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