Ministers are seldom prepared to open the skeletons in the cupboards of their departments. They usually leave this job to be done by the opposition. And the opposition is always on the prowl to look for discrepancies and make these a subject of their criticism. But the case with the State Medical Health Department has been somewhat different. As the Speaker allowed the concerned ministers to present the budget for their department, the Minister of Medical and Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports Taj Mohi-ud-Din did not mince words and frankly admitted that criticism leveled by the opposition members about the sordid and disgusting situation of Government Medical Colleges in Srinagar and in Jammu could not be challenged. It was a reality that on a number of counts, health services in the hospitals attached to the medical colleges was dismal and far below the expected standards.
The Minister has tried to absolve himself of any responsibility on account of the bad condition in the hospitals by arguing that he had inherited it from his predecessors and could not be held responsible. In the same breath he tried to convince the house that soon after taking over the charge of the ministry, he had taken big steps to bring about drastic changes in the existing condition in hospitals and then enumerated what he had initiated to do. Be he has rightly said, the people are not much concerned with personalities but with the situation on the ground. What he has said on the floor of the house vindicates the sentiments of people who have been making regular complaints about poor sanitary conditions in the Government hospitals and lack of facilities. Nobody is prepared to listen to the public cry and still we claim that this is a peoples’ Government.
The Minister for Medical and Technical Education has found that the important reason for inefficiency, non-delivery and insanitary conditions in the Government hospitals in both the capital cities is that there is a big shortage of faculties, para-medicos, nurses and safai karamcharis etc. We are unable to guess why there is such a large scale of shortage of manpower in these hospitals when year after year grants are sanctioned and departmental budgets are passed. Is it not the duty of the Department to propose the additional manpower both professional and non-professional in order to make the functioning of the hospitals smooth? Shortage of 800 doctors is not a small number and we should know that it takes many years for one to become professionally qualified to become a doctor and to be posted in a hospital. True the minister has suggested that there should be a drastic reformation of medical policy in the State and recruitment rules should be made less complicated. It will require a long range policy to do so.
The Minster for Health, who also spoke on the occasion of presentation of the budget for the department, has not said anything about the condition of the hospitals but enumerated in detail what his ministry has done to improve medical services in the state especially in rural areas. Obviously, the department is trying to improve the conditions and provide better medical facilities to the people and larger number of rural people has been brought under medical facility umbrella. There is no denial of that story. It has to be appreciated. But the point is of efficiency and competence that often make health services a target of public ire. Expansion of medical facilities or opening of new healthcare centres and dispensaries is not enough. Their efficient functioning and responding to the difficulties of the patients is of much serious concern. It has to be remembered that there is growing trend of mobility from rural to urban areas in the state. Both capital cities have witnessed influx of rural people leading to rather haphazard expansion of both Srinagar and Jammu cities. It means tremendous pressure on medical services also. Medical department needs to focus on its futuristic requirements and do the planning accordingly. If the Minister feels there is need of reforming medical policy, let it be initiated. It will be good service to the State.
Follow our WhatsApp channel