THE HEALING TOUCH
The state spends Rs 23.3 crore on healthcare per 100,000 persons—the second highest among large states
Srinagar’s 254-bed GB Pant Hospital, the Valley’s only children’s hospital, used to be a virtual death trap for infants until 2012. That year alone saw 787 infant deaths, sparking public outrage. The deaths were widely seen to be a consequence of a lack of hygiene coupled with abysmal medical infrastructure and shortage of doctors and paramedical staff.
The change since that fateful year has been nothing short of revolutionary. The paediatric hospital that serves the region’s seven million residents has been given a complete makeover. The old neonatal intensive care unit with five, often non-functional, life support units has been replaced with 21 stateof-the-art ventilators. The hospital now has new diagnostic labs, an oxygen plant and a complete contingent of medical professionals specialising in child healthcare. All this and the newly spruced-up premises, haves significantly reduced the infant mortality rate (IMR) by over 50 per cent.
According to the medical superintendent at the hospital, Kawarjeet Singh says, most of the turnaround can be attributed to the funding received under the Centre’s flagship National Health Mission (NHM). He says the hospital has been able to spend Rs 21 crore on equipment, manpower and monetary benefits to patients. This includes the Rs 30,000 annual spend on free medicines and transportation on every neonate.
The IMR has registered a sharp decline across the state from 34 per 1,000 live births in 2016 to just 24. That, rather impressively, is lower than the national average of 37 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. In fact, J&K is among the three top-ranking states for annual incremental performance as per the NITI Aayog’s ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’ health index report.
Masood Rashid, a consultant doctor at the state health department, too, lauds the NHM for ushering in “monumental change” by extending healthcare to populations in remote areas. “They did not have access to healthcare facility, especially in winters. The NHM has provided remote areas with doctors,” he says. Bolstered by the positive outcomes, the health authorities have set fresh targets—to bring down the IMR from 24 to under 10 by 2022. For this, even district and sub-district hospitals are being equipped with neonatal stabilisation units. Five new medical colleges in the districts will soon be operational, says state health secretary Atal Dulloo, adding that two fully equipped cancer institutes are also planned in the Valley and Jammu at a total cost of Rs 120 crore. The state government will also shortly announce a new health policy.