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| Swine Flu in J&K: Administrative tussle killed initiative on testing laboratories in 2009 | | Rs 2.5 crore sanctioned by centre; state squandered due to nonchalance | | K Koushal & Mishu Gupta
Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 24: As the swine flu scare hits the state claiming lives and sending hundreds to throng GMCH and SKIIMS in both the regions of Jammu and Kashmir, its historical perspective has a very unfortunate account in the state that started in 2009 and got dug in 2009 itself without any further action on it.
In 2009 , when the disease hit the state, the then government took up a swift action to take on the challenge under the then Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma who called up an emergent meeting of his subordinates to fix up a war front to tackle the menace.
His initiative met the waterloo as the bureaucratic and administrative mingle on the affair left the worthy proposal in floating and ultimately into the cold store.
When swine flu struck in 2009, Health Minister Sham Lal took the quick enterprise while talking to union ministry and immediately demanded two testing labs each for Jammu and Kashmir which got the nod of the centre.
The Union Ministry gave clearance for Rs 2.5 crore for setting up of the laboratories.
Health Minister called upon the then health secretary Sudhanshu Panday, planning secretary, then principal Jammu Medical College Rajinder Singh and the then HoD microbiology for urgent meeting and placed the proposal or quick disposal.
The meeting decided to set up the laboratories both in Jammu and Kashmir and the process which was likely to take up few months time was put on fast track.
In between, the severity of the disease weakened and the process of setting up of laboratories too went on slow pace until, the work came to a halt after nearly 4 months.
"However, the then microbiology HoD who was keen to get the laboratories set up took up the initiative on her own and went to the then Principal GMC Rajnder Singh and gave him the briefing over the project which was not well entertained by the principal. He rejected the proposal saying that there was no need to set up the laboratory as the diseases had died down till then," said a source.
It was learnt that the Microbology HoD then reached the Health Secretary Sudhanshu Panday to outline the process of laboratory setting who in turn called up the principal GMC with a query on nonchalance.
"This turned the principal fuming who alleged that the HoD Microbiology had bypassed him by reaching the health secretary. He immediately called explanation of the HoD and asked her to explain her position while not taking his consent before reaching the Health Secretary," said the source adding that disgruntled HoD microbiology thereafter feeling humiliated left the proposal go to winds which died unnatural death in cold storage. Had the testing laboratories been set up since then, swine flu would not have been of that alarming proportion as it has become now by consuming lives and sending scared persons in hordes to hospitals and health centres. |
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