‘Free textbooks by Jan end’
SRINAGAR: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo Thursday conducted surprise inspection of LD Hospital to review healthcare facilities being extended to the patients there.
The Minister visited various sections of the hospital including emergency ward, outpatient department (OPD), inpatient wards, operation theatres, NICU and PICU wards and reviewed their functioning.
Interacting with the doctors and paramedics on the occasion, Sakeena Itoo impressed upon them for timely medical intervention of referral patients owing to criticality of expecting mothers. She also stressed for optimal utilisation of available resources at this premiere maternity health facility to ensure that patients receive best possible care.
“It is crucial for healthcare facilities to operate with highest standards of medical care and hygiene, especially in government hospitals that serve the majority of population”, Sakeena maintained. She added ‘our government is committed to ensure that medical services are efficient, well-managed and patient-centric across all peripheral and tertiary care hospitals as well as other institutions.
During the inspection, the Minister also took note of several critical areas where improvements are needed. She assured the hospital administration that immediate corrective measures would be taken up to address these issues.
Sakeena Itoo also interacted with the patients and their attendants to seek feedback on the condition of facilities and medical care being provided at the facility. She assured them the present government led by Omar Abdullah is determined to strengthen the healthcare system in the region.
Meanwhile, Sakina at SKICC said that the students enrolled in government-run-schools will receive free textbooks by January-end. Besides, Itoo further clarified that there will be no syllabi curtailment for the students appearing in upcoming board exams.
The minister during a media interaction said, “All textbooks will be made available by January end. It took some time to make free textbooks available for the students.”
On asking about the curtailment of syllabi in upcoming board exams, Itoo said, “There will be no relaxation in syllabi for the board exams because the session has been changed only upto 9th standard.”
“The date-sheets have been already issued and we have taken students on board also, they have informed us that they are already preparing for the exams,” she said.
About the selling of textbooks by private schools within the institute, the education minister said that the government has constituted a district and zonal level committee. “They have been asked to monitor the violation so that appropriate action is taken against those private schools.”
On the occasion she further said that the School Education Department will allow or disallow private coaching during the winter vacations in accordance with the norms set by the government.
On the occasion Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary said, “The government will look into the issue of dysfunctional technical colleges of Jammu and Kashmir. We will streamline the issue soon.” (With inputs from KNO)
Committed to better medical services: Sakeena
