Sakeena Itoo Reviews NHM Functioning Across J&K, Directs Officers To Ensure Better Healthcare Delivery

JAMMU, NOVEMBER 13: Minister for Health and Medical Education and Social Welfare, Sakeena Itoo, on Friday chaired a comprehensive review meeting at the Civil Secretariat, Jammu, to assess the functioning, progress and implementation of various components of the National Health Mission (NHM) across Jammu and Kashmir.

During the meeting, the Minister took a detailed review of the performance of NHM in different sectors, with particular emphasis on strengthening public healthcare infrastructure, effective utilisation of financial resources, availability of medical staff, supply of essential medicines, diagnostic facilities, patient transport services and delivery of healthcare services at the grassroots level.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Saugat Biswas; Mission Director, NHM J&K, Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan; Director Finance, H&ME; Director Planning, H&ME; Director Family Welfare and Immunization, J&K; Director Health Services Jammu; Director Health Services Kashmir and other senior officers of the department.

While reviewing various NHM interventions, Sakeena Itoo stressed the need for strengthening implementation mechanisms and ensuring that the funds, manpower and infrastructure available under the mission are utilised effectively to deliver tangible benefits to the general public.

She directed the concerned officers to identify shortcomings in the existing healthcare delivery system and take time-bound corrective measures to address the gaps, while ensuring greater accountability at every level.

Emphasising the importance of NHM in strengthening the public healthcare system, the Minister said that resources allocated under the mission must translate into visible improvements in the quality and accessibility of medical services.

“NHM is an important instrument for strengthening the public healthcare system. Our focus must be on ensuring that every resource allocated under the mission is utilised efficiently and delivers measurable benefits to the people. There should be no gap between the availability of resources and delivery of healthcare services,” she said.

The Minister also called for improved coordination among different wings of the Health and Medical Education Department to ensure the uninterrupted availability of essential medicines, diagnostic facilities and other critical healthcare services in government health institutions.

Highlighting the importance of equitable healthcare delivery, Sakeena Itoo stressed that people living in remote, far-flung and underserved areas must receive the same quality of medical attention as those residing in urban centres.

“Our priority is to make quality healthcare accessible, affordable and dependable for every citizen. The benefits of NHM must reach the last person in the queue and no individual should be deprived of essential medical facilities due to geographical or infrastructural limitations,” she maintained.

She further emphasised maintaining punctuality among healthcare personnel, improving patient transport facilities and ensuring adequate availability of medicines and diagnostic services, particularly in healthcare institutions catering to rural and far-flung populations.

The Minister directed the officers to revisit the issues and bottlenecks highlighted during the meeting, prepare comprehensive action plans and ensure their timely implementation. She also stressed the need for regular monitoring of NHM initiatives and fixing responsibility at appropriate levels to improve institutional performance and service delivery.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to strengthening the healthcare system in Jammu and Kashmir, Sakeena Itoo called upon the officers to adopt a coordinated, result-oriented and people-centric approach.

She said that effective implementation of NHM should remain a priority to improve healthcare access, infrastructure, service quality and overall health outcomes across Jammu and Kashmir.(KNC)