Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 13: Expressing grave concern over the worst condition of Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, the BJP MLA Jugal Kishore Sharma said there is foul smell even in emergency block of the hospital due to lack of proper cleanliness.
He said a patient died in the emergency as no body cared for him for four hours.
Jugal said that the officers facing inquiry are heading the departments and this has given a bad impression among the masses. The machinery is not working in the hospital and medicines are not available.
Launching a scathing attack on Ministry he said the Government should paste posters that person with head injury should not come to GMC for treatment but catch the bus straight for Pathankote in Punjab to get better treatment outside as no neuro surgeon is available in GMC.
He said the work started on Super Speciality Hospital by then NDA Government over a decade back has not been completed till date and stressed that those doctors be stripped of the posts of HoDs who are facing inquiry.
Alleging that the Medical Education and Health Department is terribly sick, NPP leader Harshdev Singh said the health of the Department is falling day by day and it is on ventilator.
He said one bed is shared by three patients and there is shortage of staff and drugs. The cities however have private hospitals where people can go for treatment but in rural areas there is no tablet available up to 20 kilometres, he added.
Government is duty bound to provide better health care services to people and doctors be made ready to serve in rural areas, he said, adding the RBA category doctors as per rule have to serve in rural areas for seven years.
He wanted to know what happened to the Rs 2600 crore health infrastructure plan submitted to GOI 10 years back. He said why funds have not been released by GOI under the scheme as 90 percent hospitals are run in Kacha houses in the State.
He said there is no Drug Policy and drugs are purchased from open market. There are lot of funds under NHRM but no delivery on ground, he added.
Maintaining that Medical Education and Health should be the priority of every Government, Ashwani Sharma of JSM said that the people in J&K should be provided the same facilities in the hospitals of the State which people have in big cities of the country. He also stressed on strengthening the health services in rural areas to lessen the load on Medical Colleges of Jammu and Srinagar.
He demanded Primary Health Centre in his constituency be upgraded and alleged that the Government was working on consolidation and not expansion.
He also alleged that machines in GMC and other hospitals remain out of order for months together and neuro surgery is not functioning properly.
Engineer Rashid accused the former Health Minister of ignoring his constituency saying if Minister tells him he was under oath of Constitution, the Minister was also on oath to give equal treatment to every area but he neglected his constituency completely.
Rashid said that if same treatment continues toward his constituency his people will not hesitate in taking bullets instead of stones. The Ministers who ignore other constituencies should resign on moral grounds, he added.
Expressing concern over dismal performance of GMC MLA Domana Bharat Bhushan said that a patient with joint replacement or any other ortho problem prefers to go outside the State instead of GMC for treatment. Same is the case with heart patients, he added.
There are 2470 posts vacant in Health Department it shows how many hospitals were without doctors and para medicos.
G M Saroori of Congress expressed concern over the problem faced by people in erstwhile Doda district due lack of medicare facilities and alleged that no attention was paid to their demands. He even warned to stage a walkout when Speaker insisted him not to speak for more time. He demanded punishment for doctors who do not serve in rural areas and demanded completion of construction work of hospitals.
Aijaz Jan of NC demanded dispensaries in far-flung areas of Poonch district and CT Scan in Poonch Hospitals. He said the commitment made with him in this regard be respected.
He said due to lack of this facility in Poonch the patients die enroute to Rajouri hospital and all the vacant posts in Poonch hospital be filled up.
Choudhary Sukhnandan said when there was no tablet of BP available in Assembly Dispensary for last two days what could be the condition of other hospitals of the State.
Dr Mustafa Kamaal stressed the Government to have re-look on primary sector as 95 percent patients do not need hospitalization.
He said that Government was only concentrating on cities and forgetting the small health care centres due to which these institutions have become weak.
He stressed on re-engagement of retired doctors to overcome shortage of faculty otherwise the threat of de-recognition will loom large, he added.
He demanded that intake capacity of JVC College be restored to 80. The shortage of doctors will be overcome either by opening new colleges or increasing intake capacity, he added.
Ridiculing the grant of number one award to State in primary health centre Balwant Singh Mankotia of NPP said that when the patients of J&K go outside they get a good treatment and we will only come to know whether we are the number one or not when a patient form outside comes for treatment here.
He stressed on population control. He wanted to know where the State is in sex ratio as per national average.
He said patients are given sub standard medicines on double rates. He said Rs two crore were spent on Mansar Hospital but it has no sanctioned staff.
Master Lal Chand said that there is dearth of staff and shortage of infrastructure in hospitals. He said best doctors of Jammu are serving outside the State and doctors of RBA category be asked to serve for seven years in backward areas.
M S Niaz stressed on strengthening the health institutions in the State to lessen the load on Medical Colleges. He stressed that doctors, para medicos and other staff be asked to wear apron and badges for identification. The doctors who have been trained on Government money should not be allowed to serve in foreign countries, he added.
Peer Ashraf of NC alleged that negligence of his Constituency has led to alienation of people.
Nair Aslam Wani, Krishan Chander, Ashok Kumar, Irfan Shah and Qamar Ali Akhoon also participated in the debate.
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