Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 23: Reacting to the Government’s confession on the floor of State Legislature that as many as 2895 health institutions in the State are functioning from rented buildings, BJP National Executive Member & its State chief spokesperson, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today, this is yet another evidence of the fact that the ruling coalition is treating health sector casually. At a time when the Medical Council of India (MCI) is suggesting an extra one year of rural Internship for medical residents and medicos are up in arms against the proposal, what could be more discouraging than this for a young medico to opt for State Government service, he added.
On the one hand, by Government’s own confession,2300 posts of doctors and paramedics are lying vacant, on the other hand, nearly 3000 of State’s health institutions including Community Health Centers don’t have respectable accomodation and basic infrastructure, said Dr Jitendra Singh and asked, is the Government providing a disincentive instead of incentive to new medical graduates and postgraduates who have plenty of more lucrative options coming up in the private sector ? It is appalling to note that leave aside the peripheral areas, in Jammu district itself, over 260 health centers are functioning from rented buildings and some of them are so ill-furnished that a single common table serves as prescription writing table for doctor cum examination table for patient.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, it is ridiculous that even as In Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu and associated Hospitals, 899 posts of doctors and paramedical staff are lying vacant and in GMC Srinagar and its associated hospitals, 1504 posts are lying vacant, the Union Health Minister has announced opening up of four more Govt Medical Colleges in the State. The much hyped Super-Speciality Hospital in Jammu is virtually a non-starter, he said.
Alleging politicization of health sector, he said ,both the Central Government as well as the State Government are well aware that these superfluous decisions are not easily practicable but are making such populist announcements only with an eye on forthcoming elections.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, a nation that dreams of becoming a super-power by 2020 can hardly afford to treat the health sector so casually and reminded the political class across party lines that the voter today is much more awakened than before and that the coming election will be decided on foundational and development issues.
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