Board exam pattern to be followed for paramedic courses: Lal Singh

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 16: Minister for Health and Medical Education, ARI and Trainings Choudhary Lal Singh today said that the Government has taken all measures to conduct the exams for the paramedic courses in a systematic and regular basis to end the uncertainty which the students pursuing these courses were facing earlier.
“The process has already been started and henceforth the exams for General Nursing, Ophthalmic Assistant, Lab technicians, X-Ray technician, GNM, Dental Assistant, all other paramedic courses will be taken on the pattern of board exams, which include annual and biannual examinations”, Health Minister assured.
The Minister was addressing a gathering of faculty members, Principals and staff of private paramedical institutes of Jammu region after handing over them marks sheets of the students who appeared in last exams conducted by State Paramedical Council.
Around seven thousand six hundred mark sheets were handed over by the Minister to over fifty Principals, owners of different paramedical institutes at the function held at Government Medical College, Jammu.
Administrator Associated Hospitals Babila Rakhwal, Professor and Head of Department of Pharmacology Dr. Zahid Gillani, Controller J&K Paramedical Council (JKPC) Dr. A S Bhatia, Registrar (JKPC) Dr. Sandeep Singh, Principal Ancillary Medical Training (AMT) School Bakshinagar Rajni Sharma, Medical Superintendent GMC Dr. Robinder Rattanpal, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robinder Khajuria besides Principals and staff members of private paramedical institutes were present on the occasion.
The Minister asked the Principals of the paramedical institutes to provide quality education to the students so that their services are utilized for improving medicare facilities in the state hospitals.
He asked the Principal Govt AMT schools Bakshi Nagar and Gandhi Nagar to increase the enrolment of the students under paramedical courses.
Expressing his dismay over the way in which the paramedic courses were being run earlier, Choudhary Lal Singh said that last exams were conducted after a gap of about four years. There were no regular exams during this period due to which precious years of students were wasted, he noted with concern.
“We decided to end this uncertainty and made a new beginning. Now the exams of the students will be conducted twice in a year on the pattern of board exams”, he said.
He asked the administrators/owners of the different paramedical schools to maintain the prescribed standards in teaching and training the students, adding laxity on this account can invite strict action. He directed the designated authorities to conduct surprise inspections of these schools and take strict action if any institute is found lacking in the standards.
Choudhary Lal Singh cautioned that no laxity or carelessness will be accepted as for as patient care is concerned. He instructed for discouraging the unnecessary referrals from rural hospitals to city hospitals to avoid crowds. He called for equipping the district as well as rural areas hospitals properly to attend all types of patients except of serious nature which require specialized treatment in the city centers.