Srinagar, July 21: A delegation of political leaders comprising Dr Farooq Abdullah, President JKNC; M Y Tarigami, CPI(M) Central Committee Member, and Dr Mehboob Beg, General Secretary, JKPDP; called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan on Friday. They submitted a memorandum to the Lt Governor seeking his intervention on recruitment of doctors, paramedical staff at SKIMS, Srinagar and several other issues related to the health sector.
The Lt Governor assured the members that the UT administration is committed to health for all and that the manpower issue raised by the delegation will be addressed on priority and in a time-bound manner. He said under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unprecedented health infrastructure has come up in J&K in the last three years.
“Due to our consistent efforts, today J&K has one of the best public healthcare facilities in the country. The UT administration is working with sensitivity to ensure the common man has access to quality healthcare and our performance on 10 health parameters is better than the national average, which is a testimony to our commitment to quality of life and transformation in the health sector of Union Territory,” the Lt Governor observed.
The Lt Governor further noted that more than Rs 7000 crore has been spent on strengthening the health infrastructure and Rs 881 crore to upgrade the dilapidated infra in districts. “With 2 new AIIMS, 7 new medical colleges, 5 new nursing colleges, upgradation of 10 nursing colleges and 2 Bone & Joint hospitals, Jammu Kashmir is redefining healthcare delivery system in the Country. 2 state-of-the-art cancer institutes are also coming up, one each in Jammu and Srinagar, and MoU with Tata Cancer Institute has been signed to provide the best care and ensure trained manpower. The work on Bone & Joint Hospital, Srinagar has been expedited and is expected to be completed by the end of this year,” the LG said.
As per the statement issued by LG’s office, the dialysis facilities are available in every district hospital, besides universal health coverage of Rs five lakh is provided to every household of Jammu Kashmir under the Ayushman Bharat-SEHAT scheme. “Around 98 percent population has access to Ayushman Bharat, which has proved to be a boon to the poor, marginalized section of society as well as the middle class. Earlier there was no facility for critical care ambulances, however, it is now available round the clock across the Union Territory,” it said.
“Accessible, affordable and quality healthcare for every citizen of J&K UT is our top priority,” the Lt Governor said.
