JAMMU, Sep 30: The much needed Mobile Medical Units (MMU) - proposed one each for all districts of the state under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)- are gathering rust in the Nagrota yard for last more than one year  apparently due to delay in the tendering process  for equipping these with the critical medical aids.
Sources informed Greater Kashmir that the central health ministry had announced to deploy ambulances equipped with critical care systems on Jammu-Srinagar highway in the state under a special helpline service number 108 and 104, to minimize accidental deaths.
“These ambulances were to be procure, equipped and utilized by the state government under NRHM programme for providing mobile health care services to the people”, sources said adding that shockingly from last one year the ambulances are gathering rust without being used.
Though officials claimed that the delay was mainly because of the technicalities in tendering process, sources said that the lack of coordination between the state and union health ministry and red tapism has put the property worth crores at risk.
“The state Health Department had purchased 25 ambulances (simple Tempo Traveler vehicles) more than one year back. More than twenty of these ambulances are presently parked at Nagrota yard of Health Department, for last more than one year”, they said.
They further added that after mooting the proposal, the Health Department had initiated process to equip simple ambulances with all critical care facilities and advertised tenders for equipment fitting.
“The tenders were advertised and allotted to a firm, but in the meantime due to some unknown reasons, the state government asked Health department to re-advertise the tenders. When Health department canceled the tendering process and was contemplating to re-advertise the tender, the firm which was allotted tender, went to court and took stay on the tendering process” sources said.
The tendering process, they said, remained stalled for many months and recently the court had directed Health department to re-advertise tenders. “During   last more than one year the vehicles parked at Nagrota yard, are gathering rust while the tendering process was still on” sources said.
A driver of Health department, while explaining the condition of parked ambulances said that tyres of several vehicles have been damaged, while the condition of vehicles was also deteriorating with each passing day, as the vehicles were parked in open and prone to all type of weather vagaries.
Sources further disclosed that even if the tenders were allotted in one month, it would   take more than six months to bring the ambulances on road. “The proposed Critical Care Ambulances  are to be equipped with  all facilities available in  Intensive Care Unit    including Ventilator, Monitor, Oxygen kit, Generator set and others, the fitting of which  will take around three months”, sources said.
They further said that a well trained team of staff would also be required for each ambulance for which fresh recruitment was to be made. “Atleast two para-medics   will be required for each ambulance and posts area not advertised as yet” sources said, adding that the recruitment of staff would also take around 6 months.
Pertinently, each district will be allotted one ambulance, while Jammu and Srinagar district will get two each.
Director of Health Department Madhu Khullar, who also heads the purchasing committee, while admitting the delay, said that the process has been initiated and within coming days tenders would be allotted. She further said that after fitting of all equipments the CCA would be given to all districts.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 1 Oct 2012 00:00:00 IST