Though the decision of the Jammu & Kashmir health department on uniform rates for diagnostic tests of the patients in both urban and rural areas hospitals lying under its control is a welcome step but similar rates for these diagnostic tests should have been also applied in the main referral hospitals of twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu coming under the administrative control of the medical education department the charge of which is also held by the Principal Secretary holding the charge of health department. A single administrative controlling authority for health and medical education department has been in fact devised with the purposes of uniformity in the availability of the manpower and infrastructural facilities in the hospitals lying under the administrative control of both the health and medical education departments keeping in view the uniformity in both the working and as well as delivery of services of both the departments. Uniformity not only in the rates of the diagnostic tests in the hospitals of both the health and medical education departments but uniformity by them should have been shown also in the availability of life saving drugs. Ironically the sole administrative controlling authority overseeing the working of both the health and medical education departments from the state secretariat does not respond even to the complaints over the shortage of immunization injections during campaigns of immunization for children in the hospitals run by the twin departments.
The most ticklish issue is the challenge of uniformity in the delivery of services of the hospitals controlled by both the health and medical education departments in the state. A strong vigil of the administrative controlling authority from the state secretariat on delivery of services and facilities in the hospitals of both the health and medical education departments is totally missing on ground.
The lack of assertiveness shown by the single administrative controlling authority at the state secretariat in enforcing uniformity in the delivery of services and facilities in the hospitals controlled by both the twin departments shows that some officers of doubtful integrity holding key positions in key institutions of both the health and medical education departments for years together are trying to further the cause of exploitation with the blessings of bureaucratic top brass. The issues by all probabilities deserve the immediate attention of the government as the poor delivery of services and facilities speaks volumes about the poor management of government’s health care system in Jammu & Kashmir state. The most ticklish issue is the challenge of uniformity in the delivery of services of the hospitals controlled by both the health and medical education departments in the state. A strong vigil of the administrative controlling authority from the state secretariat on delivery of services and facilities in the hospitals of both the health and medical education departments is totally missing on ground.
