Sumbal (Bandipore), Sep 15: Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, on Thursday warned the doctors and paramedics of stern action, if they fail to discharge their duties properly.
 “Pull your socks up and work sincerely or face action,” Sharma said while addressing one-day National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) sameelan in this north Kashmir town. 
 Minister expressed grave concern over the “laxity on the part of doctors and paramedics while performing their duties especially in rural areas. He threatened officials of stern action if they fail to “mend their ways.”
 “I am giving you ten days. My way of working is different I am not working for name and fame. I am working for the betterment of humanity, if you (medicos) don’t deliver then be ready to face action,” he said.
 “There was lack of awareness about the NRHM till 2009, we organized seminars in Assembly hall to make legislators aware,” Sham said. “There was huge embezzlement in the NRHM scheme even the funds for the pregnant women and new born babies were embezzled.”
 Sham asked the doctors, paramedics and ASHA workers to work with dedication and devotion to ensure that benefits of NRHM reach to people at grass root level. He asked for effective implementation of the scheme to improve infrastructure, augment manpower, and provide emergency and referral transport services with improved logistics in health facilities.
 He exhorted upon the doctors and Para medical staff to work with more dedication, adding that serving the humanity is the best prayer. He said that we have to maintain accountability and responsibility in our profession to improve the delivery system on ground so that benefits of various flagship programmes reach to the needy people.
 “Health department can bring good or bad name to the department. My observations during my tenure have been that the doctors and paramedics have not been functioning with keenness to serve the poor and the needy,” he said.
On transfer of power to Sarpanchs 
 Referring to the transfer of power to Sarpanchs he said, “Mere rhetoric won’t work. We have to be practical."
  “The uncertainty in Kashmir is due to the lack of power at grass root level. This will end after dissolution of power,” he said. “It is the last ray of hope” Sham said.
 To oppose the transfer of powers can add to the uncertainty, he added.
 As a part of delegating powers to the grass root level institutions, the Minister  announced that Rs 10,000/ will be earmarked for each Medical Sub-Centre across the State and funds will be jointly utilized by the Sarpanchs, Block Medical Officers and Pharmacist in-charge for the patient care.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 IST