*Patients still being compelled to visit outside centres
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 15: Even as the cancer cases are continuously on rise in Jammu and Kashmir during the past some years, the State Government has yet not shown any seriousness in making available facilities to timely diagnose and treat this deadly disease. What to talk of initiating measures at its own level, the Government has even failed to take steps towards implementation of the directions of State High Court, which otherwise had given ray of hope to the people suffering from the cancer.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the number of patients suffering from various types of cancer is increasing every year and it has almost touched one lakh at present. But, the Government Medical Colleges don’t have basic facilities for treatment of this deadly disease.
Be it the presence of qualified Oncologists and Onco-Surgeons and other experts in the relevant field for treatment of various types of cancer or the facility of PET scan, the situation in the Government Medical Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir remains very discouraging. In such a situation both the affluent sections of the society as well as common masses are the worst sufferers, sources said.
Though some of the affluent patients manage to visit North India centres but this step doesn’t help them because these centres generally remain overcrowded due to which the patients are being compelled to wait for their turn for diagnosis and due to such delay, the disease becomes terminal and some patients either die or become untreatable. The poor patients on one side can’t afford to visit outside centres and on other side have no facility in J&K.
Keeping all these aspects, the Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Tashi Rabstan, in a Public Interest Litigation filed by Senior Advocate A V Gupta, had in the month of February this year, directed the Health and Medical Education Department to take effective steps for installation of PET scan machine in all the Government Medical Colleges of the State within a period of six months.
While expressing serious concern over the prevailing situation after analyzing the report submitted by the Commissioner/ Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, the DB had observed that the Constitution of India mandates the States to provide facilities of healthcare.
“The issue of PET scan shall be taken note of with all seriousness and same shall be provided in all the Government Medical Colleges, where cancer patients are to be treated, within a period of six months”,
Moreover, the High Court had even issued directions for availing the services of Oncologists from the neighboring States in case qualified Oncologists are not available in Jammu and Kashmir and fixed timeframe of two weeks for strict compliance to this directive.
“However, none of the directives of the highest court of the State has been taken seriously by the Health and Medical Education Department”, sources said while disclosing that neither any step has been initiated for availing the services of qualified Oncologists from the adjoining States nor for making available PET scan machines in the Medical Colleges.
While the deadline for bringing qualified Oncologists from neighboring States has already expired, the left over three months time for installation of PET scan machine in the Medical Colleges is grossly inadequate to complete the exercise, sources said while disclosing that even proposal has not been moved for making purchase of this vital machine despite the fact that funds are also required to be arranged.
“Even if the exercise for PET scan is initiated tomorrow, the same cannot be completed within the deadline fixed by the High Court in view of involved lengthy exercise like floating of tenders, conducting technical and financial evaluation of the participating companies, short-listing of company on the basis of these evaluations and then placing formal orders”, sources said.
Due to contemptuous attitude of the Health and Medical Education Department towards the vital directions of the High Court, the people are still being compelled to visit North India centres for diagnostic and treatment facilities, which otherwise is a hassle-full exercise, sources said, adding “all this clearly indicates that Government is non-serious towards the rising cancer cases”.
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