JAMMU: Secretary Health and Medical Education (H&ME), Bhupinder Kumar, today reviewed the functioning of Nursing Schools and Colleges established in Jammu and Kashmir under Centrally Sponsored Schemes under phase-I, II, III, and under PMDP.
Dr. Yashpal Sharma, Director (Coordination), New Medical Colleges, Nursing Colleges, and Paramedical Colleges, J&K, briefed the Secretary about the present status of Nursing Schools and Colleges, utilization of funds, and the bottlenecks in the operationalization of these institutions.
He informed that 21 ANM/GNM Schools were sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in Phase-I and Phase-II of the centrally sponsored scheme, out of which, 17 have been made fully operational and 04 are being made operational by next year. In Phase III, GoI sanctioned the upgradation of 10 ANM/GNM Schools into Nursing Colleges along with a financial grant to augment the infrastructure, Lab Machinery/Equipment, Books, etc. Besides, 05 Nursing Colleges were sanctioned under PMDP at Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore, Gangyal, and Kishtwar.
Secretary directed the Principals of these Medical/Nursing Colleges for timely utilization of funds for the creation of infrastructure, procurement of machinery/equipment, books, etc to ensure that the requirements of Jammu and Kashmir University are met for starting courses of different streams in these institutions.
Principal Medical College, Jammu, and Srinagar were asked to operationalize the Nursing Colleges at Gangyal and Budgam at the earliest. It was also decided that the faculty in these institutions, shall be made available through engagement on an academic arrangement basis, against the sanctioned posts, and on internal arrangements in consultation with the two Directorates. Besides, the vacant posts of Principals of Nursing Colleges shall be filled shortly.
Among others, the meeting was attended by the Principals of Medical Colleges, the Director Health Services, Jammu/Kashmir, Director, Finance HME, the Joint Director Planning HME, Principals of Nursing Colleges, and other senior officers of the Health & Medical Education Department.
Meanwhile, Secretary Health and Medical Education (H&ME), Bhupinder Kumar, held the State task force meeting regarding the preparation of a roadmap for Measles Rubella Elimination by 2023 with the Directorate of Family Welfare, MCH, and Immunization J&K.
The meeting was attended by the Director General, FW, MCH & Immunization, Dr. Saleem Ur Rehman, Additional Secretary H&ME, Deputy Secretary H&ME, AD-FW Jammu and Kashmir divisions, SPO-UNDP, WHO-SMOs Jammu and Kashmir divisions besides all Chief Medical Officers, Deputy CMOs and DIOs of the UT.
A detailed PowerPoint Presentation was delivered by AD-FW Jammu on the status of Measles-Rubella vaccination and the roadmap for the MR Elimination program by 2023.
Secretary emphasized the need for initiating serious efforts to identify the areas of immunity gaps and pockets of vaccine hesitancy in the priority districts. He stressed the prioritization of existing high-risk areas and develop a District RI improvement plan to overcome the identified operational gaps.
Secretary directed all the district officials to strengthen the concurrent monitoring and supervision at the ground level. He stressed strengthening the timely case-based Fever and Rash and Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) surveillance at all the districts.
Secretary directed the Chief Medical Officers of all the districts to accelerate District/Sub-district Task Force Meetings in the districts to review the implementation of MR elimination activities and provide strategic directions to focus on areas needing attention.
He further impressed upon the strengthening of the laboratory network by building the capacity of the Microbiology Department of GMC Jammu for the testing of Measles and Rubella cases in the Jammu division.
