Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Apr 9: Taking a cue from the National Rural Health Mission, the State Government is mulling monitory incentives for the doctors posted in remote areas of Jammu Kashmir.
According to the authoritative sources, the Department of Health is working in this regard and a proposal is being formulated for the Government doctors to grant them special rural allowance depending upon accessibility of the area of their posting.
For the purpose, sources added, the areas are being categorized into Inaccessible, Very Difficult and Difficult for which different allowances would be granted.
The proposal under discussion is likely to be given final shape within a month for approval of the State Cabinet and then implementation of the same with issuance of an SRO, sources informed.
Even as the Government is also mulling some other measures like compulsory tenure in rural areas etc, sources said that the major thrust is being given on the adaptation of NRHM pattern for encouraging the doctors to work in rural areas.
Under this pattern, incentive are paid as additional lump-sum allowance over and above the existing salary structure to the doctors posted in difficult areas, classified in three categories. For the `Inaccessible’ category, the NRHM doctors are paid Rs 20,000 extra while for the `Very Difficult’ and `Difficult’ categories, additional allowance of Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively is paid.
However, categorization of areas is taking time as it was very difficult and debatable to classify a region as Inaccessible, Very Difficult or Difficult, sources explained adding that various yardsticks were being adopted to differentiate among the categories.
Pertinent to mention here that the Government doctors used to avoid rural posting, particularly in remote areas thus depriving people there of health care facilities.
When contacted, Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, confirmed that the Government was working on such proposal. “Rural compensatory allowance will encourage doctors for serving in remote areas and ensure health services to poor people living in far-flung villages besides decreasing referral cases thereby easing the burden on city hospitals.
Jammu and Kashmir has more than 3400 health institutions, over 5800 doctors and 11,840 beds, 22 district hospitals, 85 sub-district hospitals/community health centres, 375 primary health centres, 238 allopathic dispensaries and 2,293 sub-centres.
Follow our WhatsApp channel