J&K CM seeks Legislators’ cooperation in expanding health care

           Jammu, February 04 (Scoop News) – J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday said that all of us should focus on holistic development of health sector and extension of modern health care facilities to the people especially in rural and far-flung areas.

Addressing a one-day seminar organized to sensitize Legislators about National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) here, the Chief Minister sought the active cooperation of Legislators to achieve the cherished goal of ‘healthy Jammu and Kashmir’. “My government has flagged health sector as one of the most important concerns in the policy planning”, he said and asked Legislators to be important stake holders in the stupendous task of universalizing modern medical facilities in the State.

The Chief Minister said huge infrastructure and complexes created across the State are being equipped with necessary paraphernalia, doctors and equipment. “Unless good infrastructure is run by competent staff, its utility will not be to the fullest advantage of people. My government is endeavouring to place doctors adequately in hospitals and health centers across the state. In this connection much headway has been achieved during the last two years by creating more than 5000 new posts of doctors”, he said adding that incentives and enhanced salary has been approved for the doctors working in far-flung and remote areas.

Omar Abdullah said while our focus is on consolidation in health sector due attention would be paid to make new creations wherever necessary. “There are so many far-flung areas where patients have to travel more than 16 kms for primary health care facility. Our effort would be to bridge this gap and expand the orbit of medicare facilities in the state”, he said.

The Chief Minister asked the Legislators to get fully sensitized about the modus-operandi of NRHM, Rogi Kalyan Samiti and other flagship programmes and play their role in helping general people to get maximum benefits of these schemes.

The Chief Minister said that his government has made allocation of state matching share for centrally sponsored schemes at the beginning of the fiscal as an essential aspect of plan formation. “This has helped the state to get regular flow of funds for flagship and other schemes like NRHM, PMGSY, SSA etc regularly from the Centre and to carry forward the development works on faster track”, he maintained.

Omar asked the health department not to feel complacent over the award of first ranking in health sector received by Jammu and Kashmir recently. “It has placed much responsibilities on your shoulders for working hard and reaching out to people to maintain this position in the country otherwise there are chances of a slip”, he cautioned the department.

The seminar was organized by the Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IAPPD) in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). 

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