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| Why JK's 'ailing' health sector needs major revamp | | | Saqib Ahmad
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Nov 11: Despite government claims of uplifting the health care system in J&K, the poor health sector, which has been ignored by the successive regimes, is craving for a major revamp.
It took government two years to terminate 100 doctors for remaining away from duties unauthorisedly, which shows authorities' lack of seriousness in uplifting the health care sector. Two years ago, government had sent notices to 300 medicos who were working abroad. Of them, 30 have joined duties in J&K and 100 were then terminated from the service. Despite the Health Department facing shortage of doctors and craving for major revamp, it took government two years to implement its decision of terminating these medicos.
The doctor patient ratio in J&K is 1:2104 as against the recommendations of World Health Organization (WHO) of 1:1000.
The Health department over the years has seen less recruitment of doctors, thereby letting patients suffer due to lack of speedy medical attention. The doctors are also unwilling to serve in remote areas and instead prefer to serve in urban areas, and many give up their jobs to move outside the state.
A cursory look at the JK's health sector presents a sorry state of affairs. According to official figures, the Health and Medical Education Department is facing acute shortage of manpower with around 4000 gazetted and non-gazetted posts vacant.
There are 500 vacancies in Health and Family Welfare Services; 100 in Medical Education Department; 50 in government dental colleges 50, and around 150 posts are lying vacant in ISM and Drug and Food Control Organization.
According to the House Committee, discrepancies were found in health care in far-flung areas. The committee had given various recommendations in 2013 for the up-liftment of the health care. But officials said none of the recommendations has been implemented.
According to statistics of the Health Department, the Geo-Informatics System has found that the state has deficiency of 1,757 health institutions based on catchment area, population coverage and existing health care institutes across the J&K.
The statistics reveal that Kashmir lacks 42 Community Health Centres (CHC), 122 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 898 Sub-Centres (SCs) as per population norms, that presents a dismal picture of the health scenario of the state.
Similarly, the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu has deficient of 22 CHCs, 79 PHCs and 594 SCs. The lack of health care facilities in far-flung areas is putting extra burden on tertiary care hospitals.
Figures of Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs released last year too revealed a grim picture of the health sector. Out of 2265 sub-health centres in J&K, 1290 (57 per cent) have no regular water supply. Similarly 1013 of these SHCs have no electricity and 672 are without an all-weather motorable approach road.
When it comes to a total of 637 PHCs in the State, only 328 have a labour room whereas 253 have no beds available. 81, 94, and 98, of these PHCs are also without electricity, water, and motorable approach road respectively.
In communication technology, which is cardinal for effective healthcare especially in intra and inter district transfers, 540 or 84 per cent of these PHCs have no telephones while as 517 or 81 per cent function with computers.
Figures also reveal that only 362 of the 637 PHCs have referral transport facility thus putting lives of the thousands in rural areas in jeopardy for want of transfer to district or State hospitals during an emergency.
Except few, these hospitals have no accident and emergency units, which is compulsory for every hospital. Barring a few, these hospitals also lack intensive care units, ventilators and the diagnostic facilities. |
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