Governor Sh. N.N. Vohra had a detailed review of Health and Medical Education Department in a meeting at Civil Secretariat which was attended by Sh. Parvez Dewan, Advisor to Governor; Sh. B.R. Sharma, Chief Secretary; Sh. B.B. Vyas, Financial Commissioner, Planning and Development Department; Sh. Navin K. Choudhary, Commissioner/ Secretary, Finance Department; Dr.Mandeep K. Bhandari, Secretary, Health and Medical Education; Dr. Zahid Gillani, Principal Medical College, Jammu; Dr. Baljeet Singh Pathania, Director, Health Services Jammu; Dr. Yash Paul Sharma, Managing Director, J&K Medical Supplies Corporation; Dr. Baldev Raj Sharma, Director, Family Welfare; and Dr. Harjeet, Nodal Officer Jammu Division NHM.The Governor directed the Health Secretary to ensure speedy and strict action, including termination of services, against all the doctors who remain unauthorizedly absent from duty at any point of time. Health Secretary was also directed to issue orders for withdrawing doctors who have been attached at any station, including Delhi, without availability of posts or are superfluous without any actual requirement or availability of posts. He also directed that the Health Department should urgently draw up a policy for the placement of doctors based on the period of their service in difficult areas of the State.
Governor directed the Health Secretary to take immediate action for ensuring that all doctors who are appointed to Government services join duty within the prescribed period and take warranted action immediately against every defaulter. In this context, Governor asked Advisor Dewan to urgently evolve a policy for incentivising doctors who serve in difficult areas by providing them avenues for dedicated post graduation slots as departmental candidates, rotation in postings depending upon their period of service in the relatively difficult areas and preferential postings at home stations or other convenient locations etc. He also directed that Health Secretary should follow a policy for filling up the posts of Medical Officers to be posted in Medical Colleges and other departments like Police, Prisons etc. by ensuring their systematic rotation without compromising the manpower availability in the Health Department. Such a policy should also be publicised.
The Governor urged Advisor Parvez Dewan to urgently undertake an objective view about the detailed review and discussions with all stakeholders to evolve an objective view about the government doctors undertaking private practice. The Governor shall take a meeting by end March to discuss and finalise the Advisor’s recommendations.It was informed that the Department has set up 16 Sick New Born Care Units, 76 New Born Stabilization Units and 281 New Born Corners for infant and neonatal Care in various health institutions. Under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram, more than 14 lakh children have been screened with more than 2 lakh children having been provided with treatment in secondary/tertiary care institutions. Under National Health Mission, around 5500 MBBS and ISM doctors/para-medics have been engaged for providing health care services, besides assisting in creation and upgradation of physical health infrastructure in the State.
Health Secretary informed that the amount of Rs. 4900 crore has been allocated under the Prime Minister’s package to the H&ME Department for setting up of two AIIMS (Rs. 4000 crore) and for the completion of languishing infrastructure projects and augmenting machinery/equipment required in the Health institutions. The Governor directed the Financial Commissioner, Planning & Development to urgently review and finalize the infrastructural support required to be made by the State Government at the sites identified by the Site Selection Committee.As discussion has already been taken to adopt the Free Drug Policy in J&K, the Governor directed the Health Secretary to urgently finalise an Action Plan for strict implementation of the Policy from 1stJune, 2016. The Governor was informed that the Medical Supplies Corporation has already finalized rate contracts for 422 items after following the e-tendering process and also empanelled four GLP certified NABL accredited labs for testing samples to guard against any spurious or sub-standard medicines being supplied.
Health Secretary informed that the posts which have become vacant after the termination of 100 doctors are being referred to the Public Service Commission. The Governor urged the Advisor (Dewan) to regularly monitor the progress of setting up AIIMS and five new Medical Colleges and State Cancer Institute’s at GMC Jammu and SKIMS Soura and ensure against any slippages whatsoever.The Governor stressed the need for proper disposal of medical wastes and asked the Advisor to hold a meeting with all concerned to finalize an Action Plan in this regard. The Governor also directed the Financial Commissioner (Planning & Development) to identify the steps required to be taken for very early operationalsing the Ayruvedic and Unani Colleges and resolving by 31st March 2016 all pending issues relating to finalization of works to be undertaken in the Health & Medical Education sector as part of the Prime Minister’s Package. The Governor asked Advisor Dewan to hold an urgent separate meeting to resolve every issue relating to the effective implementation of the Rastraya Swasth Bima Yojana in the whole State. The Health Secretary shall closely monitor the increasing menace of drug abuse in the State for which the Governor shall take a separate meeting on 3rd April 2016.