Despite facilities by Govt patients suffer; Private practice adding pinch salt to woes of the poor
By: Ch. Rashid Azam Inqlabi.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the medical facilities provided by the govt are appreciable, there is no shortage of funds or qualified manpower in the UT, but a lack of proper planning and a lack of administrative skills surface at all stages in running the health and medical institutions, whether it is medical college or district hospitals, or any other institution, lack of good governance and planning felt everywhere and public is paying the price. We never plan to keep in view future challenges or to provide better facilities to the general public but we take it lightly and treat the patient like animals. The projects executed keeping in view the petty interests. The persons remained at helm of affairs often, high jacked by some influential lobby. The public in general has to face the music for the slackness of our planners whether they are, politician, bureaucrats, or technocrat.
The profession of a Doctor is treated as a noble profession. Doctors supposed to save the life of even the enemy, Doctor is not supposed to treat the patient, keeping in view their caste, creed or religion or financial status. The public in general believes that Doctor is next to GOD, who saves their life as per their best ability but exception is seen some times, as seen in Srinagar some years ago, Doctors refuse to admit the pregnant Tribal lady in hospital and she deliver the baby on road side in extreme cold during winter days. The Medical College Jammu is a prestigious Health institution in Jammu and Kashmir, public in general suppose to get best health facilities there. The majority of people living in rural area are poor, belonging to below poverty line, or even people of middle-class family cannot afford the expenses of private hospital.
All is not well in all medical colleges of UT particularly in Jammu medical college. I had recently bad experience of medical college Jammu when I had to face many difficulties during the days I spent there with patient (my relative). The patient has to run from pillar to post for minor things such as checking of BP or for injection, or tests. There is complete mess prevail in medical college Jammu. Doctor seems to be tired, inattentive towards patient. It is difficult to trace the doctors during peak hours in emergency, as doctors are not wearing aprons. Recently Administrative secretary Health and Medical education visited the medical college Jammu, the Doctors who accompanied him while on round are in formal dress not wearing the aprons or Identity cards as seen in photographs with press release.
Senior doctors often remain busy in private practice they come to medical college only to relax or mark their presence or introduce their self to the patients so that they can increase the number of patients in their private clinic. Senior doctors have good contacts with persons who matters in the administration. Senior doctors high jacked the system even does not allow the young doctors to bring reform in the present systems. I have heard from some of the patient about some Doctors who had positive approach towards the patient and doing commendable job.
The root cause of apathic condition of GMC is defective recruitment rules of medical colleges. The successive government is also responsible for the prevailing mess and worse condition of medical colleges, and health institutions, which have made the defective recruitment rules for medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir.
The junior resident doctors are doing commendable job, they try their best to give the best treatment to patients but junior doctors are not deployed as per actual requirement of Hospital, no senior doctors even registrar or consultant generally being available in emergency or in wards. Senior doctors often ignore the call of even from the office of principal GMC when requisition is sent for the round of senior doctor but often they depute the P. G students or consultant.
It is difficult to bring immediate reforms in medical colleges of union territory with in a specific period, as per existing recruitment rules and regulation. The civil societies, the intellectual of all political parties, religious organization, social organization, Press, has to play their role for improving the working of Health institution otherwise we have to face the music sooner or later.
All of us has to play our role to reform the working of GMC so that in general, poor people or patients can avail best medical facilities in hospitals. To provide the best medical facilities to the public is great challenge for government but not difficult, we can achieve this goal if plan properly and defective recruitment rules are re-visited. It is needs of hours that Government immediately bans the private practice of Doctors working in medical colleges.
The system of medical college Jammu requires, immediate attention of Lieutenant Governor on priority basis in order to give good working atmosphere to the doctors, paramedical staff and patients. Government needs to bans the private practice of doctors of medical colleges immediately in the interest of good governance and patients. Otherwise everyone has to pay the price for the mess prevailing in Medical College Srinagar and Jammu whether he is doctor, patient or politician or bureaucrat.
There is complete lack of control on the staff deployed in wards and other places as observed during my days spent in medical college Jammu, they often pass responsibility on one and another. Doctor not available in wards during night hours. The condition of wards is worst as regard to cleanliness is concerned. The wash room’s condition is bad to worse. Doctor remain non-available during night in the wards.
As per existing recruitment rules administrative Secretary is not in a position to transfer a Doctor from medical college to another, if the performance of Doctor is not up to the mark, then how the administrative Secretary or Principal of medical college can control the working of doctors. The Judges of High Court, Chief Secretaries of States, IAS, IPS, IFS officers, even Governor can be transferred from one place to another place but due to defective recruitment rules Doctor of medical college cannot be transferred to another medical college then why the doctors bothered for the orders of the Secretary health and medical education department.
For apathic condition of medical college only LG Manoj Sinha can set the things right by directing for updating the recruitments rules at par with neighbouring states and inconsonance with medical counsel of India, otherwise poor patients, and general public has to pay the price for the defective recruitment rules of medical colleges. The poor people often raise the voice that their patient died due to negligence of doctors but generally we believe that doctors are professional, they must have taken due attention towards the patient as per medical ethics.
We have great hope from our dynamic Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and from young administrative Secretary of Health and medical education department, as both are sons of the soil, and definitely bring reform in functioning of medical colleges of Jammu and Kashmir so that general public can get the better medical facilities.
(The author is a former KAS officer can be contacted on [email protected].)