Minister for Health and Medical Education, ARI and Trainings, Choudhary Lal Singh today directed the authorities of Paramedical and Nursing Council of Jammu and Kashmir for early issuance of academic calendar. He said the Government is making concerted efforts to strengthen the paramedical institutes including nursing colleges in the State with improved infrastructure and qualified staff.This was stated by the Minister while speaking at a seminar, “Opportunities, Challenges and Role of Paramedical Colleges in Health Sector” organized by the Association of Paramedical Institutes here today.Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Ms Asiea Naqash, Director General Indian System of Medicines, Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, Principal Government Medical College Jammu and President Paramedical Council Jammu Dr Zahid Geelani, Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Dr Rafiq Pampori, Registrar J&K State Paramedical Council, Dr Sandeep Singh, Controller J&K State Paramedical Council Jammu Dr Amarjeet Singh Bhatia besides Presidents of Association of Paramedical Schools and Colleges Kashmir Dr Hafizullah Naik and Jammu M S Katoch were present on the occasion.
The Minister said the Government is making concerted efforts to further strengthen the healthcare facilities in every nook and corner of the State to make health sector more vibrant and accessible to the people. He said during the tenure of nine months of the present Government, the entire health and medical education sector has been reenergized, adding that results are in front of the public as the India Today Group has rated health department of Jammu and Kashmir No. 1 in the country.Choudhary Lal Singh said the entire medical and paramedical fraternity is putting in lots of efforts to bring the system back on track. He assured the paramedical students that the exams under General Nursing, Ophthalmic Assistant, Female Multipurpose Workers, Male Multipurpose Workers, Lab Technician, X-Ray Technicians, GNM, Dental Assistant and Pharmacist (Medical Assistant), Sanitary Inspector and Operation Theatre Technicians will be conducted on time at par with Board of School Education on regular basis.
The Minister asked the Principal of the paramedical institutes to provide quality education to the students so that their services could be utilized for improving healthcare facilities in hospitals. He asked the Principal Govt AMT Schools Bakshi Nagar and Gandhi Nagar to increase the enrolment of the students under paramedical courses. He said Ancillary Medical Training (AMT) School is a pioneer institute for training the Ancillary Medical personnel and offering the basic and promotional educational programs. He lauded the role of the AMT School to provide and promote education in the field of health.Choudhary Lal Singh said the examination of the paramedical courses was conducted after a gap of about four years, adding the students have suffered a lot due to not conduct of exams in time.
The Minister appreciated the efforts of the association for organizing such seminar which, he said, is very essential to aware the society about latest changes happening in the healthcare sector. He also assured all possible help to streamline the paramedical education in the State so as to produce competent paramedical professionals who could deliver quality service to the ailing people. In her address, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Ms. Asiea Naqash asked the paramedical staff to provide patient friendly behavior in hospitals. She asked administrators/owners of the paramedical schools to improve the standards of teaching and training to the students. She directed the concerned officials to conduct surprise inspection of the schools and if not found upto the mark, strict action be taken against the erring institutes. She also disclosed that various steps have been taken to streamline the functioning of the paramedical institutes in the State.The Minister directed FMPHWs to work with dedication and ensure best medical facilities to the people. She said it is the prime duty of the every officer and official of the Health and Medical Education department to be more responsive and prompt towards patient care.She cautioned that no laxity or carelessness will be accepted as far as patient care is concerned.Later, Choudhary Lal Singh and Ms. Asiea Naqash also distributed membership certificates to the paramedical association members.