Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 10: Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare will shortly depute teams for finalization of sites for establishment of two AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir for which provision of Rs 4000 crore has already been kept in the special package announced by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Union Health Minister, J P Nadda conveyed this to J&K’s Minister for Health and Medical Education, Ch Lal Singh during their meeting at Union Capital today.
Joint Secretary AIIMS Dr Rakesh Kumar, Joint Secretary NHM Manoj Jeelani, Union Mission Director C K Misra, Mission Director National Health Mission J&K Dr Mohan Singh besides other officers of Union Health Ministry were also present in the meeting.
During the meeting, Ch Lal Singh informed J P Nadda that J&K has completed all the formalities as per the check list forwarded by the Union Health Ministry at the time of sanctioning of two AIIMS in J&K. He conveyed to the Union Minister that three sites-two in Jammu region and one in Kashmir valley have been identified by the J&K Government for establishment of AIIMS.
Mr Nadda conveyed to the J&K’s Health Minister that very shortly two teams of the Union Ministry would be visiting these sites to take final decision following which other formalities would be completed to ensure early start of work on two AIIMS. “Most probably the teams would visit within next 10 days”, said the sources privy to the deliberations between two Ministers.
In Jammu region, the Government has identified two sites-one each at Vijaypur and Ghagwal, both in Samba district while as in Kashmir valley, the land has been identified at Awantipora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. For establishment of each AIIMS, the Government has to make available 1600 kanals of land to the Union Government.
The site at Vijaypur is entirely State land while as in Ghagwal major chunk of identified land falls in the private category. Similarly, 1300 kanals of identified land at Awantipora is State land while as remaining 300 kanals is private land.
While thanking the Union Health Minister for providing liberal funding and full support to the J&K under Health and Medical Education sector, Ch Lal Singh urged for early release of funds for establishment of five new Government Medical Colleges in the State.
He conveyed to the Union Minister that all the formalities vis-à-vis land identification for these colleges have been completed by the State Government and at present there was no hurdle in start of work.
The Union Minister assured that funds for establishment of Medical Colleges would be released to the J&K Government as the Union Government is committed to provide new infrastructural facilities in the health and medical education sector.
These five Medical Colleges would be established in Kathua, Doda and Rajouri in Jammu province and Anantnag and Baramulla in Kashmir valley.
During the meeting, establishment of two State Cancer Institutes-one each in Government Medical College Jammu and Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura also came up for discussion and Ch Lal Singh informed the Union Health Minister that all necessary formalities including NOC of the Atomic Energy Board have also been completed in this regard. Moreover, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cancer Institutes has already been signed.
Union Minister, while stating that Government of India was seriously initiating measures to check spread of cancer in the country, assured Ch Lal Singh that process would be expedited for early release of Rs 120 crore each earmarked for the Cancer Institutes.
Earlier, Ch Lal Singh informed the Union Health Minister about the new initiatives being taken to improve health care infrastructure facilities in every Government health institution in the State. He also thanked Mr Nadda for releasing Rs 4000 crore for two AIIMS for Kashmir and Jammu and Rs 900 crore for upgrading the infrastructure facilities in the newly established and existing hospitals in the State.
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