The health department on Tuesday presented its report card, highlighting milestones achieved in one-year of the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) rule in Jharkhand. The report card presented by Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi depicted systemic improvements initiated by the department besides path breaking policies formulated to overhaul healthcare delivery system in the State.
The dossier prepared by the department categorically speaks about bolstering the manpower to address gaps in the requisite strength at various health centres that were said to be gasping in the absence of medical professionals. Even as Chandravanshi elucidated the department’s initiative with regard to creating a self-governing system guided by service rules for the manpower, he asserted that the Government’s initiative vis-à-vis people centric measures has resulted in expanding coverage of nearly all among the poor under the medical services offered by the Government.
Chandravanshi maintained that as part of improving infrastructure, 450 buildings have been constructed in one year, 250 new buildings have been sanctioned in one year; Government has created additional posts totalling 2,695 for various programmes and institutions under the Health department.
Significantly, after faltering for over two years, the department expressed the resolve to start operations at super-speciality hospital situated in the campus of Sadar Hospital at Ranchi from the beginning of the next financial year.
“We will run the hospital and will start the facility from March 31 with facilities for about 200 beds,” Chandravanshi declared.
Meanwhile, the department vowed to adopt tough stand against private practice as it is set to regulate the practice to safeguard interests of patients. “We have prepared guidelines governing private practice which will be released within 2-3 days so that this practice doesn’t become open ended. We will release detailed guidelines so that no one can practice during OPD hours,” said Principal Secretary of Health, K Vidyasagar.
The department, however, took diplomatic stance on the issue of altering seats in medical colleges which have been under scanner of the Medical Council of India. The apex regulatory body has in four inspections derided respective administrations for not taking sufficient measures before going for expansion of seats. Interestingly, Vidyasagar indicated at the ever changing methods of inspection to be posing the problem for getting recognition to additional posts.
“There are three issues with that- infrastructure, procedure and manpower. We have improved infrastructure; we are following process and have made recruitments. The MCI has made four inspections and the comparative study of all the inspections shows that points which were raised in earlier inspections were not raised in the subsequent inspections and vice versa. These things are going on. We hope that we will not go through the similar situations,” pointed out Vidyasagar.
The department also claimed to have addressed the issue of erring doctors as most them become reluctant to contribute at their place of posting leaving health services at the mercy of second rung officials. Vidyasagar assured that while, on one hand, number of sanctioned posts has been increased, on the other hand, recruitments are being made at regular intervals to fill the gap of doctors.
“We have made postings recently. Some of them have asked time, some of them have been given time as they are pursuing PG courses. Some people are disinterested however their number is less. Of the 700 vacancies, recruitment process of 268 specialist doctors is in final stage by JPSC. If that happens, then we will have vacancies for 300-400 posts. As far as doctors’ not joining is concerned it is not as acute as it used to be,” Vidyasagar said.