GOALPARA, June 25 - With a flurry of activities in the health sector being taken up in the district recently there has been a clear show of intent by the authorities for transforming the health sector by following the best practices in order to provide better health services to the public.
Talking to this correspondent, the Joint Director, Health & Family Welfare Dr Nilmadhab Das said that Goalpara is one such backward district that has been branded as aspirational out of 115 districts selected by the government across the country. He also said that only seven districts of Assam have been included under the Aspirational District Programme (ADP) where the district will be ranked on the basis of 49 indicators on the basis of the core social sectors. Dr Das also said that the ADP aims at making development a mass movement by involving the private sector, the civil society and the legislatures. In the areas under health and nutrition, the Piramal Foundation will be providing support on leadership development, change management, technology integration and implementing innovative practices for providing better overall services to the public.
But for initiating measures for the programmes initiated under ADP for managing one district hospital, five CHCs, 41 PHCs and 151 sub centres in the district, the rationalisation of health workers is an important part of the overall reform process and for keeping an effective work force in the health sector.
But sources from the Family and Welfare Department raised a few eyebrows after revealing to this correspondent that vide order no GDG 27/ Health 2018/21 dated 1st June, 2018 a total of 17 excess staff members including a pharmacist, laboratory technician, ANMs, ANM (FW), GNM (NHM), LHV, Dhai, Ward girl, besides a few IV grade staff serving in the Maternity & Child Health Centre were detached with immediate effect and reverted to the 200-bed district hospital and other health centres by the then Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Dass. But the process was stalled allegedly due to active political interference especially from the president of the hospital management committee. The same is the case in the administration of the district hospital which is not free from political interference where swapping of staff members cannot be carried out without the prior permission of the political bosses.
On the other hand, Saurav Kr Nath, a member of the ruling BJP condemned all kinds of political interference in any of the developmental programmes taken up by the BJP government and said that such interference acts as obstacles to progress and deny people getting better access to health facilities in the district. He also urged the government as well as the district administration to see that all government developmental schemes are properly implemented and there should be a sense of urgency in improving the overall backwardness and social parameters in a laggard district like Goalpara instead of indulging in myriad political controversies.
