| Despite NRHM, H&ME department fails to appoint even contractual staff to NCD Cells | |    | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 27: Despite Central Sponsored Scheme NRHM scheme being i9n force in the state, the Health and Medical Education Department has failed to appoint even contractual staff to various National Communicable Diseases (NCD)Cell where 50% posts are lying vacant.
Moreover, the department claims that the NCD cell is envisaged for providing preventive, promotive, curative and supportive services upto Sub Health Centre but has failed to provide sufficient staff according to operational guidelines. A couple of years ago, the government had established NCD cells in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir but astoundingly the department concerned has not provided sufficient staff so far and at present the cell defeats the purposes for which it was established.
"According to norms a district NCD cells should be supported by contractual staff including a District Programme Officer, a Programme Assistant, a Finance cum Logistics Officer and a Data Entry Operator but in some districts only few staff members are catering for years", sources said.
"The NCD cells will be responsible for overall planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the different activities and achievement of physical and financial targets planned under the programme in the district", sources said, adding that the cells were functioning under the guidance of District programme Officer (DPO NCD) and would be supported by the identified officers/officials from the district health system.
The responsibilities to identify the district level health official (DPO) posts is Director Health Services Jammu/Kashmir but years lapse both directors has failed fill these posts.
The further said that the responsibilities of District Programme Officer is to preparation of District action plan for implementation of NPCDCS strategies, maintain and update district database of NCD diseases including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, conduct sub-district/ CHC level trainings for capacity building, engage contractual personnel sanctioned for various facilities in the district, maintain fund flow and submit Utilization
Certificates, maintaining District level data on physical, financial, epidemiological progress, convergence with NRHM activities; and convergence with the other related departments in the District, ensure availability of palliative and rehabilitative services including oral morphine but without sufficient manpower how it is possible that a single staff members to handle all responsibility.
Principal Secretary to H&ME Department, Atul Dulloo was not available for comments. | | |
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