GS Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 12: Prevailing administrative inertia in the Health Department has caused delay in equipping 10 mortuaries of district hospitals in Jammu division with sophisticated machinery.
Also, funds worth Rs 2.5 crore, sanctioned under Prime Minister's Development Packages (PMDP), are still unused.
In 2016-17, under the PMDP, Rs 5 cr was sanctioned to equip 20 mortuaries across the state with sophisticated machinery. These mortuaries included 10 in Jammu division, and the Health department announced that sophisticated machinery would be installed in these mortuaries before ending March 2018. But even as the financial year has closed, nothing has been done by the Health department so far.
"There were 10 mortuaries of district hospital and CHCs selected for installation of sophisticated machineries in Jammu division including DH Rajouri, DH Kathua, DH Samba, DH Kishtwar, DH Udhampur, DH Reasi, DH Poonch, Emergency Hospital Banihal, Gandhinagar Hospital and CHC Katra. But after lapse of sufficient time, the Health department failed to complete the project in the stipulated time frame", said sources, wishing anonymity.
They said the lackadaisical approach of the department concerned could be gauged from this fact that most of the hospitals' mortuaries where government announced sophisticated machinery would be installed are under construction. Hence, installation of machinery is still a distant dream.
"The under construction mortuaries are at: DH Reasi, CHC Katra and DH Samba. It shows nonchalant attitude of the department. The task of construction of mortuaries in these district hospitals was assigned to Small Scale Industries Corporation Limited (SICOP) years ago. But the SICOP has also been failed to complete the project in stipulated time", said sources.
When contacted by Early Times, Deputy Director, Health Services Jammu, feigned ignorance about delay in installation of sophisticated machinery in the mortuaries. |
