State struggling to meet pre-conditions for 3 Cancer Care Centres
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 24: Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has yet not given formal sanction for establishment of Cancer Institute in Jammu mainly because of the failure of the State Government to meet the pre-conditions. This has clearly established that the ill-informed politicians are only misleading the people by announcing one after another time-line for the start of work.
Moreover, the Department of Health and Medical Education is still struggling to fulfill the pre-requisites for setting up of Cancer Care Centres in three different parts of the State despite the lapse of several years.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in 2014-15 the then Union Government announced establishment of two Cancer Institutes in Jammu and Kashmir—one in Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura in Srinagar and another in Government Medical College Jammu at a cost of Rs 120 crore each.
Keeping in view the fact that cases of deadlier disease were being reported from other parts of Jammu and Kashmir also, the Union Government even announced setting up of three Cancer Care Centres-one each in Udhampur, Kishtwar and Kupwara at a cost of Rs 45 crore each. Accordingly, the State Government was directed to meet the pre-conditions as early as possible for start of work on the Cancer Institutes as well as Cancer Care Centres.
As SKIMS Srinagar fulfilled the pre-requisites in the shortest possible time, the Union Government formally accorded sanction for establishment of Cancer Institute and even released funds. Accordingly, the infrastructure was put in place, sources said, adding “at present the Cancer Institute in SKIMS is ready for commissioning anytime as right from the equipment/machines to manpower everything is in place for providing diagnostic and treatment facilities to those suffering from this deadlier disease”.
However, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has yet not given formal sanction to the establishment of Cancer Institute in Government Medical College, Jammu mainly because of the failure of the Health and Medical Education Department to meet the pre-requisites despite lapse of four years, sources said.
“No doubt necessary documents have been placed before the Union Ministry and several rounds of meetings held on the subject but the Health and Medical Education Department has yet not resolved the key issues particularly relating to manpower”, sources said while disclosing that two posts of Lecturer Medical Oncologist and Surgical Oncologist, which were created in 2011-12, have yet not been filled and this has been pointed out by the Union Government.
Moreover, the Union Ministry, after going through the presentation made by the team of Health and Medical Education Department of J&K in the recent past, has stressed that Nuclear Medicine Department should be created with sufficient manpower as the same is the main pre-requisite for establishment of Cancer Institute.
“All this clearly establishes that there are remote chances of State Government getting formal sanction for establishment of Cancer Institute in Jammu even in near future”, sources said, adding “it is a matter of serious concern that concerned authorities failed to meet the requirements for establishment of Cancer Institute despite lapse of four years”.
While the Department of Health and Medical Education was struggling to meet the pre-requisites for obtaining formal sanction for establishment of Cancer Institute in Jammu, the politicians of ruling parties were misleading the people by announcing one after another time-line for start of work. Even during the last Budget Session it was stated on the floor of the Legislative Assembly that Government was trying to start work on the Cancer Institute in Jammu during the current year.
“The Health and Medical Education Department is also struggling to meet the pre-conditions for establishment of Cancer Care Centres”, sources said while questioning the slackness on the part of the concerned authorities, which led to failure in obtaining formal sanction and funds from the Union Government.
When contacted, Principal Secretary Health and Medical Education Department Dr Pawan Kotwal confirmed that Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has yet not given formal sanction for establishment of Cancer Institute in Jammu. “The formal sanction along with the funds will come only after the Union Ministry is satisfied that we have met the pre-requisites”, he added.
“The Public Service Commission has been asked to fill up the posts of Medical Oncologist and Surgical Oncologist without wasting further time”, he said, adding “even process has been set into motion for establishment of Department of Nuclear Medicine in Government Medical College Jammu, which is major condition of the Union Ministry”.
However, sources said that at present no time-frame can be specified for establishment of Cancer Institute in Jammu and Cancer Care Centres in Udhampur, Kishtwar and Kupwara.
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