Minister for Health and Medical Education, ARI and Trainings, Ch Lal Singh today presided over one-day orientation workshop on Public Health facilities “Kayakalp” award which held here today.Speaking on the occasion, the Minster asked the participants to work with dedication on improving cleanliness in the public health facilities which is the sole mandate of the Kayakalp awards.He directed the officers of health Department to follow the protocols and processes in letter and spirit for maintaining proper hygiene at public health facilities which will also in turn help public health facilities to attain National Quality Standards pertaining to cleanliness. The initiative will encourage every public health facility in the State to work towards achieving standards of excellence to help the facilities stay clean and hygienic, he added.
Dr. Mohan Singh, Mission Director, National Health Mission, J&K informed that the health institutions shall be awarded on the six thematic areas of Facility upkeep, Sanitation and Hygiene, Waste Management, Infection Control, Hospital Support Services and Hygiene Promotion for which the best District Hospital in the State would be awarded Rs 50.00 lakh and commendation award of Rs 3.00 lakh each shall be given for 02 District Hospitals scoring more than 70 percent .
Detailed presentation on “KAYAKALP” guidelines was given by Dr Mohammad Shafi Koka, State Nodal Officer, NHM, Dr Harjeet Rai, Divisional Nodal Officer, NHM, Jammu & Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, Divisional Nodal Officer, NHM, Kashmir.
The orientation workshop was attended by Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, Director General ISM, Dr Sameer Ji Mattoo, Director Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Baldev Raj Sharma, Director Family Welfare, J&K, Dr Saleem Ur Rehman, Project Director, J&K State AIDS Control Society, Chief Medical Officers, Medical Superintendents, Deputy Chief Medical Officers of Kashmir Division, and other senior officers of Health & Medical Education department.
Pertinently the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2014, focuses on promoting cleanliness in public spaces. Public health care facilities are a major mechanism of social protection to meet the health care needs of large segments of the population. Several speakers spoke on the occasion and informed that the objectives of the drive are to promote cleanliness, hygiene and Infection Control Practices in public healthcare facilities. They said that the assessment would be done periodically through a three tier system viz; internal assessment (by committee of the same health facility on quarterly basis) followed by peer assessment (by committee from other health facility to be nominated by District Level Committee) and then external assessment (by State Level Award Committee to be nominated by Administrative Department).