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| Spinal Injury Centres at Jammu continue to remain a distant dream | | Owing to non-performance, GOI blocks funds worth Rs 3.04 crore, poor patients suffer | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, May 6: Government of India’s proposal to set up Spinal Injury Centres at GMC Jammu at the amount of Rs 3.04 crore has failed to see day’s light- thanks to the administration’s lethargic approach. The poor patients from Jammu region were hence deprived of the benefits of such an important scheme.
Documents reveal that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India (GoI) in the financial year of 2014-15 launched a scheme ‘Setting up of State Spinal Injury Centres’, where under Central Government was to provide non-recurring expenditure up to Rs 2.89 crore for setting up of spinal injury centre (Rs 2.33 crore) and 12 beds ward (Rs 0.56 crore). Besides, the GoI was also to reimburse the non-recurring expenditure upto Rs 0.36 crore on year to year basis, for management of 10 beds (Out of 12 beds, the Central Government shall support through reimbursement the cost involved for management of 10 beds daily for treatment of poor patients at the rate of `1,000 per day or as per actual, whichever is less) for treatment of poor patients.
Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu submitted (June 2015) a proposal for setting up the spinal injury centre at Jammu at an estimated cost of Rs 2.89 crore to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI through Social Welfare Department, citing an average of two to three spine injury victims reporting at the hospital causality against which a grant-in-aid of Rs two crore was released (September 2016) by the GoI. However, the target date for completion of the project had not been fixed.
Records later revealed that Rs two crore received from GoI were deposited in September 2016 in a savings bank account and work of setting up of a 12-bed spinal injury ward and operation theatre had not been started. The committee constituted in March 2017 for establishment of the centre in GMC, Jammu proposed in May 2017 its creation on the second floor of Chopra Nursing Home with two theatres and associated infrastructure, including spinal ward after some modification in the existing infrastructure. Furthermore, the site for the centre was finally decided in August 2018, but the DPRs for renovation of the site were not framed.
Machinery/ equipment which include 28 different categories of equipment including high end ventilators, anesthesia machine, multipara monitor, C-Arms, portable X-Ray (Digital), etc required for the centre requisitioned through Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) were also not procured.
In the meanwhile, the GoI sought the status of utilization of the grant-in-aid and directed in October 2017 the State Government to surrender the unspent grant of Rs two crore received which continued to remain blocked in the bank account for the last two years and the intended centre could not be established. |
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