Minister for Health and Medical Education, Bali Bhagat Friday laid foundation stone of 100 bedded Sub district Hospital at Kot Bhalwal to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.21.93 crore by J&K Project Construction Corporation Limited (JKPCC).Director Health Services, Jammu, Dr. B. S. Pathania, Director Mission NHM, Jagmohan Singh, General Manager, JKPCC, N. D. Khawaja, Dy. General Manager, Mr. Satish Bhagat, CMO Jammu, senior Doctors, Engineers of concerned departments Sarpanches, Panches, a large number of Asha workers and locals were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister congratulated the people for having this vital project in their area. He said that the 3-storey 100 bedded Sub District Hospital will be completed within 3 years, benefitting a population of 40,000 of block –Kote Bhalwal and its adjoining areas.Bali called for close coordination between health functionaries and executing agency for expeditious completion of the hospital. He reiterated the resolve of the government of according utmost priority to the patient care in the government hospitals and other associated hospitals in the state.
He called upon the Medical fraternity to work as a team to extend best healthcare to the people adding that ASHAs and other field functionaries can jointly serve this purpose well. He asked the department to hold seminars, workshops and awareness camps to educate the masses about health and hygiene to prevent diseases.The Minister said that the medical fraternity bears more responsibility to deal with a very sensitive issue of healthcare and well being of human kind. “The state is fast progressing on the front of health services and the day is not far when the people even in far of villages would be able to avail specialized consultancy at their doorsteps” he said adding “Everyone of us have to contribute our best to achieve this goal”. The Minister underscored the need for setting new benchmarks in health institutions to improve the quality of healthcare so that a visible impact is created on the ground.
Listing the measures taken by the government to enforce transparency in working of health department, he informed that a specific colour strip has been embossed on all the medicine supplied to the government hospitals to differentiate the same from the similar medicines available in market.He said that the government will make a fool proof mechanism to maintain the record of each prescription written by the doctors in all government health institutions. He said that a duplicate/carbon copy of the prescription will remain in the hospital record for auditing purpose. He said these reforms have been introduced to discourage unhealthy practice of prescribing unnecessary medicines to the patient. He also said the doctors will have to write the medicines as per the availability of drugs in the hospitals.
Bali said the government has already implemented the free drug policy for the patients in the government hospitals from June 2016. He underlined the need for improving the overall health infrastructure in the state by mobilizing the available resources. He called for undertaking special awareness campaign about the health facilities available in the government health institutions with the active involvement of social organizations, NGOs and Panchayat members. He said this will facilitate percolation of the benefits of health schemes to the needy.