National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah Saturday called for comprehensive “multi-tier health policy” for the state which focuses on reform.
He said the need of hour is to establish mechanisms that canamplify the availability of health care institutions to people across thestate.
The party president while addressing a public meet atBeerwah constituency, said that poor access to effective health care systemswas a major problem in the developing world.
“Our state is geographically very diverse; there is a starkunevenness in the topography of the state. Providing up-to-date and speedyhealth care services to the people living in far-flung areas has always been achallenge. However when Sher- e- Kashmircame to power in 1977, the government led by him came up with the innovativeidea of ‘bare foot doctors’, wherein teachers serving in the remote areas ofthe state were given nominal training to cater to the basic health issues ofthe people,” he said, adding that the idea was initiated to provide fundamentalhealth aid to people until they reached hospital, which in those times hadsparse presence.
“The health and education sector were always prioritized bysuccessive NC governments. In 1996, when I assumed the office, I took no timeto add 300 doctors to the pool of doctors serving the people in the state. Theinitiative gave a boost to the effort of providing health care to the poorestof the poor especially those living in the remote and far-flung areas,” hesaid.
“With each passingyear, new inventions are made in the health sector. To ensure well-being of ourpeople across the state, the government has to work out a multi pronged policy;one is to establish the heath infrastructure and the other is to ensureresearch in the field to meet the challenges of future,” he in a statementsaid.
He said for poor, the government has to subsidize andfinance the medical care. “I am sure with Omar Sahib in the vanguard of thegovernment, the party will revolutionize the health sector in the state.”
On the occasion the party president dedicated a criticalcare ambulance to Sub district hospital Beerwah.
He was accompanied by party vice president Omar Abdullah andpolitical advisor to vice president Tanvir Sadiq.
Farooq Abdullah while addressing the public said thatdedicating an ambulance to the area is just a small spec of what party intendsto do for the area in particular and the state in general.
Party president said the challenge for the forthcominggovernment was to increase the quality of health care. “Once in power the NCgovernment under the able and dynamic Omar sahib will ensure heavy emphasis onsubsidizing health care for poor.”
He said, “The party when in power will come up with a courseof action towards helping those families whose loved ones are suffering fromfatal ailments, besides that the new government will undertake and look afterthe nutrition and medication of the patients suffering from critical diseases.”