| People continue to pay for diagnostic tests in public sector | | Administrators of Health department fail patients, fail to implement rehabilitative order | |  Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 11: For reasons best known to the people at helm an order issued by Commissioner Secretary, Health & Medical Education department is yet to be implemented by the administrators of the health department.
The implementation of the order would have led to tremendous relief for the people who visit the government hospitals across the state in order to carry out simple and complex diagnostic tests. Although, the blue print for providing relief to the people has been prepared, the implementation part is missing.
Commissioner Secretary, Health & Medical Education department, Dr. Pawan Kotwal issued an order four months back according to which diagnostic facilities would be provided free of cost to the people in the health institutions in the state. However, the order is yet to be implemented in letter and spirit in Jammu & Kashmir.
"Sanction is hereby accorded to the implementation of 'Free Diagnostic Service' in the state for providing free of cost diagnostic services to the patients at different levels of health facilities as per the details contained in the 'Annexure A' to this Government Order," reads the government order number 556-HME-of 2017 dated 12-10-2017.
The order was issued following a proposal mooted by then Managing Director, National Health Mission. The process was taken up following proposal number SHS/NHM/J&K/4254 dated 07-09-2017. However, the hard work put in with regard to issuance of order has gone down the drain so far since the same has not been implemented.
A copy each of the order was sent to Director Health Services Kashmir, Director Health Services Jammu, Director Health & Family Welfare, Jammu & Kashmir and Mission Director, National Health Mission, Jammu & Kashmir. Authorities of Health department have failed the masses since the order has remained confined to papers only.
According to the break up drawn most of the diagnostic tests have to be carried out free at the health centres across the length and breadth of the state. However, the patients continue to pay for the diagnostic tests at the hospitals and other Health centres in the state. This has defeated the idea behind issuance of such an order meant to provide succor to the people more so the patients.
Early Times has learnt from sources that the higher ups of the department have failed to pursue the order with the subordinate staff at their respective places. Their failure to get the order implemented on the ground aptly proves that many a slip between cup and the lip when it comes to implementing the government orders in the state.
'Director Health Services Kashmir and Director Health Services Jammu did not take pains to get the order implemented at the health institutions coming under their respective jurisdictions. Since the order is a rehabilitative order it needs to be implemented at the earliest so that the people especially poor heave a sigh of relief," said sources.
The tests supposed to be done free of cost include hemoglobin value, blood sugar, MP test, sputum test, urine for pregnancy, Urine R/E, Stool R/E, TLC, DLC, ESR, BT, CT, Blood Grouping, Serum Billirubin, Semen Analysis, STS test, HIV test, HBsAG (for pregnant women) and Dengue test. |
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