Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 6 : Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on Wednesday underlined the need for an effective and transparent drug and medical equipment procurement mechanism to make health institutions fully equipped with the standard medicines and required machinery.
“We have already introduced drug policy in the State but are in search of a viable and befitting apparatus to ensure hassle-free procurement of medicines and medical equipment”, he said, adding that there are certain modules in place in the country in this regard giving example of Tamil Nadu Drug Procurement Corporation.
The Chief Minister and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad this evening reviewed the progress achieved in the State under various centrally sponsored schemes for the development of health sector.
The high level meeting was attended by Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma, Minister for Medical Education, R. S. Chib, Minister of State for Health and Medical Education, Javid Ahmad Dar, Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, Union Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, R. K. Pradhan, Principal Secretary Planning, B. B. Vyas, various Union Joint Secretaries, Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, M. K. Dwevidi, Director SKIMS, Dr. Showkat Zargar, Directors of Health Services from Kashmir and Jammu, Principals of Medical College, Srinagar and Jammu, Director NHRM and other senior officers of Health and Medical Education Departments.
Omar Abdullah sought the opinion of Union Health Ministry regarding the placement of dedicated department for drug procurement in the State. Appreciating the Chief Minister’s view regarding this aspect, the Union Secretary and his team suggested the module of Tamil Nadu Drug Corporation and said that the Centre Government is adopting this type of system at the Central level. They said that many States have also adopted this module.
The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister while assuring full support to the State in the development of health sector said that the Union Government has extended NRHM for further period of five years in the country and Jammu and Kashmir will be getting assistance in the ratio of 90:10 as a special case.
Mr. Azad also talked about the new initiatives introduced in the country to focus on health care of woman and child. He said that Union Government has introduced many schemes to benefit patients in the category of diabetes, malignancy, cardio-vascular disorders and hypertension. “We are funding the programmes at district level to scan the patients with these diseases all over the country including Jammu and Kashmir”, he said, adding that Centre Government would be more than willing to augment the help to the State in this regard.
The Chief Minister and the Union Minister emphasized the need for universal access of people to the fleet of ambulances procured under NRHM asking for making 102 Phone Number operational so that people can utilize the ambulance service extensively.
Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma giving details of the progress registered under various health schemes in the State also presented resume of the status of NRHM. He also talked about the improvement achieved in various health indicators and said that targets have been fixed for all health units to achieve the results and move ahead for realizing the goal of providing adequate health cover to all.
The meeting discussed matters pertaining to establishment of trauma centres, supper speciality hospitals, maternity hospitals, mental hospital, performance under NRHM, trainings to ASHA & para-medical staff, infrastructure development, availability of doctors particularly in remote areas and other issues relating to the holistic development of health sector in the State.
The Chief Minister and Union Minister said that reaching out to all in health and medical care sector and upgrading infrastructure alongwith placing of qualified faculty and trained para-medical staff in health institutions is the priority concern and missionary, zeal and commitment by all concerned is required to achieve this stupendous goal. They stressed on dovetailing the resources and programmes for making necessary dent in this field.
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