If Uttarakhand is to prosper its health sector should be prioritised

Any state of the country or its people prosper only when adequate health facilities are brought to their doorsteps and if not at door steps at least at a comfortable proximity so that each and every individual can avail of those facilities and remain healthy and desease free.

In states like Uttarakhand, in particular which remained exploited in terms of lack of health priorities due to its being annexed with Uttar Pradesh for a long time and thereafter too after having achieved separate statehood it is extremely necessary and rather mandatory that the government of the day give special attention on health sector. It’s not that Uttarakhand has not prospered during the last 18 years where 8 chief ministers have changed compared to just 6/7 during the last 57 years in Himachal Pradesh but in terms of health, education, agricultural and industrial development, despite the tall claims of successive governments the progress have been extremely tardy and unsatisfying.

Health is one of the core sectors that requires utmost attention and concentration of those at the helm of affairs. If we go by the present health related development at the decentralised level, the situation is not only pathetic but traumatic as well, especially when we see distressed women of the villages giving birth to the new born babies on way to hospitals or they being deprived of medical attention when they somehow reach hospitals after facing tremendous odds and challanges. Its really disheartening to learn that whatever little or limited number of hospitals, health centres or dispensaries that exist in the interiors or suburban areas they are with extreme dearth of doctors, pharmacists, xray, blood bank and ultrasound machines, adequate medicines and even first aid materials.

Though the chief minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat has recently revealed about 1000 new appointments of new doctors in the state but till the time they don’t climb the hills and dedicate themselves to the service of the hill people, things won’t improve dramatically. The government has made top claims of majorly increasing the health budget of Uttarakhand by 34% to the tune of Rs. 1871 crores as compared to past year. But it still remains to be seen whether this massive budget really percolates to village levels and the poorest of the poor, the rural people, the down troddens, the lower middle class and women are benefitted with free treatments and life saving surgeries.

Uttarakhand has thirteen districts and umpteen blocks apart from myriad number of cities and towns and catering of health services to each and every person is undoubtedly not a child’s play, rather an uphill and stupendous task. The responsibility of the government is onerous and tremendous. However, the government must also be doing its best and whatever maximum, possible. But one can’t deny the fact that Uttarakhand’s health sector today is in immense jeopardy with non availability of ambulances, medical equipments, machines, medicines, doctors, pharmacists and ofcourse rural , suburban health centres.

There is one moot question if hi tech private hospitals can flourish and do outstanding business that why not the government hospitals be fully equipped with latest health related technological facilities despite having so much of budget and government funding at their disposal. There can’t be the biggest irory than this, that when the prominent singer and literateur Narendra Singh Negi suffered a massive heart in Dehradun he was advised by the chief minister himself to admit the celebrity in a well studded private hospital where he was finally brought out of the clutches of death at the last moment.

Uttarakhand today needs a well studded hospital and health centre in each and every district and blocks of Uttarakhand with team of efficient doctors, pharmacists, blood banks, all medical machines, equipments and full fledged ambulance with regular monitoring at the chief ministers level. if we really want to see a healthily prosperous Himalayan state achieved after so much of sacrifices and relentless struggles and are also seriously desirous of ensuring reverse migration, health revolution in Uttarakhand is the need of the hour.

We have also been hearing a lot about the health insurance cover given by the state government to majoriry of the population. While appreciating the gesture would it not be relevant if the hospitals are made fully equipped with the necessary hi tech treatment equipments, machines and know how at par with the private hospitals so as to enable these medical health insurance beneficieries acknowledge assured treatment and succesful surgery results from the critical ailments.

My humble appeal and request to honourable CM UK to kindly take more health related pro people emphatic decisions for the good of the state and its subjects.
SUNIL NEGI, PRESIDENT, UTTARAKHAND JOURNALISTS FORUM