Irfan Tramboo

No staff to man newly created healthcare facilities

No staff to man newly created healthcare facilities
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Finance dept 'turns down' proposal for creation of new posts

Srinagar: The government has constructed two buildings meant to serve as 40-bedded hospitals at two different places in Jammu—one at Kashmiri Migrant colony, Jagati, and the another one at Nagrota. Money has been spent, but the government has forgotten to create additional posts to man these newly created hospitals.

Reason dies as one fails to understand the logic behind creating the infrastructure when there is no ample manpower available to man the same.

“The government hasn’t so far provided the requisite manpower meant to run both the hospitals. Thus, leaving the buildings unattended after spending more than 3 crore rupees,” said an official of the department wishing not to be identified.

As per the officials in the Health Department, there is a need for creating at least 53 posts to run both the hospital, and for which, the proposal was sent to the Finance Department.

“There is a need of creating 50 posts that have the financial implication of around Rs 1 crore 66 lakh annually, but the proposal was returned after a year bringing everything to a grinding halt,” the officials added.

The proposal was submitted to the Finance Department in the year 2015 vide No. HD/Plan/79/2015 dated: 20-10-2015, which was returned with an ‘advise’.

Eventually, after the passage of one year, the proposal was sent back by the Finance Department, advising the Health Department to consider providing the manpower through ‘internal arrangement’, which the officials point out, is ‘not possible at all.’

The proposal was returned by the Finance Department vide U.O No: A/132 (2002) – 1073 dated: 06-01-2016 with the advice “to consider providing of health care facilities through internal arrangement basis,” the official said.

“Building infrastructure, as per the standards of SDH, is already in place at both the places. However, non-availability of requisite manpower is delaying the functioning of these vital healthcare institutions,” the officials said.

Officials informed that regarding the query of the Finance Department, “it is impressed that it has been revealed during the manpower audit that the Department already has a severe shortage of Consultants, Medical Officers, Nursing and Para-Medical Staff.”

“Therefore,” the official said that “the Department cannot man this Hospital on a temporary basis by internal adjustment.”

Officials impress upon the point that there is “no scope of internal adjustment” to run this Hospital, as withdrawing Consultants / Medical Officers, others from nearby Institutions to man this Institution, “would raise public outcry in the affected areas.”

After the Finance Department advised the health department of an internal arrangement, the proposal was later re-submitted to the Finance Department for concurrence for the creation of Posts for the 40-Bedded Kashmiri Migrant Colony Hospital Jagti, Nagrota, Jammu, to which the department has not responded so far.

Officials said that there is a need of creation of staff, “as the building for the Hospital already stands constructed and Machinery & equipment worth Rs.3.00 crore stands already sanctioned, half of which has already been spent.”


Irfan Tramboo

Irfan Tramboo is a reporter and covers education and health and can be contacted [email protected]

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