Adopt multi-pronged strategy to address deficit of doctors in far-flung areas: Chief Secy

Jammu, Nov 28: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo Thursday held a meeting of Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department to look into the identification of blocks facing acute shortage of medics there besides deliberating upon the ways to address the issue.
Besides the Secretary, H&ME Department, the meeting was attended by MD, NHM; Principals of Medical Colleges; Director, Coordination; Director Health Services, Kashmir/Jammu; Director, Ayush and other concerned officers in the Department.
The Chief Secretary first had an overview of the availability of staff and its strength at each level of hierarchy. He then scrutinized blocks in the peripheral districts that face critical deficiency in terms of availability of doctors there.
While deliberating further over this matter the Chief Secretary observed that multiple steps should be taken to fill the gap. He advised for framing a roadmap to motivate the young professionals to serve in these far-off areas of the UT.
Dulloo also asked for creating provisions to advance certain incentives like Non-Practising Allowance (NPA) to such medical professionals on the basis of the days they attend their duties in such remote areas.
Dulloo also favoured for providing them other amenities and benefits as additional motivating forces to serve in these areas. He urged them to look into establishment of telemedicine kiosks in these health facilities so that people can seek necessary health advices from the respective district hospitals or nearest medical colleges.
He enjoined upon the Department to rationalise the District Residency Program (DRP) so that each district has requisite number of doctors available under it. Moreover he advocated for beginning of such residency programs in Sub-district Hospitals in remote blocks of J&K.
The Secretary, H&ME, Dr Syed Abid Rashid Shah took this occasion to highlight certain initiatives of the Department to ensure availability of Consultants and Medical Officers in majority of the health facilities.
He also threw light on different steps the Department is contemplating to address the issue of unavailability of doctors in far-flung areas of J&K. He gave out that currently the UT has overall availability of 71% doctors across different health facilities with good number of Consultants, Medical Officers and Dental Surgeons in position as per the sanctioned strength.
It was further made out that the Department is going to implement the directives passed by the Chief Secretary so that medical care in the remotest blocks of the UT is provisioned there smoothly in the times to come.