Srinagar July 11 (KNS): Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to comprehensively review the progress and achievements made under the National Health Mission (NHM) across the UT.
The meeting was attended by Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department; Mission Director, NHM; Principals of Government Medical Colleges; Director Health Services, Kashmir/Jammu; Managing Director, JKMSCL and other concerned officers.
While underlining the importance of uninterrupted drug availability in all health institutions, the Chief Secretary directed for submission of the consolidated weekly reports on the status of essential medicines from every district.
He instructed that Deputy Commissioners, Directors of Health Services and the Planning Section in his office be given real-time access to this data, enabling prompt interventions wherever shortages are noticed.
Reviewing the Biomedical Equipment Management and Maintenance Programme (BEMMP), the Chief Secretary asked the concerned departments to complete the Equipment Profile exercise by August, as already directed. He underscored that maintaining functional equipment is central towards improving the patient outcomes and minimizing the service disruptions.
Dulloo expressed concern over the vacancies in DNB (Diplomate of National Board) seats across major hospitals of the UT. He directed for taking measures to fill these seats, including offering the opportunities to in-service Medical Officers, where external candidates are unavailable.
The Chief Secretary laid special focus on the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) while directing the Health Department to cover every school and Anganwadi centre across J&K. He stressed the need to screen children for key health indicators, including anaemia and other common disorders enabling targeted medical interventions at an early stage.
In line with the government’s commitment to equitable health access, Dulloo reiterated that no Primary Health Centre or Sub-Centre especially in remote and hilly areas should be left without doctors or requisite paramedical staff. He emphasized the need to fill vacant positions and deploy staff strategically to serve the underserved populations.
Taking stock of the critical care infrastructure being developed under PM-ABHIM, the Chief Secretary reviewed the status and timelines of various projects in the districts. He called for expedited completion of all ongoing works, urging the officials to meet deadlines without compromising on quality.
During the meeting, the functioning of key NHM programmes such as e-Sanjeevani (Tele-Consultation), Tele-MANAS (Mental Health Counselling), Tele-ICUs and free ambulance services was also reviewed.
