The state government seems determined to improve the condition of government hospitals as well as doctors. Not only this, but efforts are also afoot to ensure better healthcare in the rural areas. Importantly, these efforts have started to bear fruits also. Apart from giving sops to doctors recently, the state government has undertaken steps to tighten working of hospitals. Officers have been asked in clear-cut words to ensure effective implementation of the campaign launched for improving arrangements at government hospitals. The campaign covers all the hospitals right from sub-health centres with a view to ascertaining the ground realities. Therefore, records of all the sections of hospitals are being scrutinised. A separate checklist has been prepared for hospital of every level, reports SMS News and Feature

According to reports, the checklist has been prepared in such a way that it would offset entire picture of a hospital. Information would be collected on a number of points about basic facilities. The checklists have already provided to the officers deputed for undertaking inspection. Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. Gauri Shankar Shejwar, who is keeping a close watch over the campaign is determined to improve hospital conditions.

The checklist prepared for sub-health centres include columns about its own building, arrangements for drinking water, electricity, facility for delivery, availability of essential medicines and sanitary arrangements etc. If a sub-health centre does not have a building of its own, it would be ascertained whether it is being run in a rented building or a building given in donation or allotted by concerning Panchayat.

Other points to be covered about sub-health centres include number of male and female workers, availability of volunteers, quarters of male and female workers and their attendance. The 56-point checklist for sub-health centres also includes availability of services as per laid down norms and standards.

It is heartening to note that state's government hospitals are being enabled to keep pace with the changing times and with a view to implement the action plan prepared for this purpose, the State Health Committee has sanctioned Rs seven crore 60 lakh 63 thousand.

Indeed, modernising and improving government hospitals are crying needs of the hour as patients have started to turn to somewhere else in the face of lack of facilities at government hospitals. The state government sincerely intends to bolster medical facilities for the welfare of common man and this large chunk of funds has been sanctioned with the same intent.

The new experiments include accreditation of government hospital laboratories which are vital for exact identification of disease. This is being done with a view to ensuring standard and qualitative services. It would tone up working of laboratories. This process would be taken up first in the laboratories of district and civil hospitals and medical colleges while primary health centres would be covered in the second phase. Accreditation would be made by Quality Council of India at a cost of Rs three crore 51 lakh 25 thousand. The State Health Committee has also sanctioned Rs two crore 17 lakh for providing double fortified salt under two Central schemes.

The second major step for new experiments would be tightening up family welfare works in government hospitals. With this in view, a household survey is getting done by Union government's undertaking Hindustan Latex Limited Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT). Rs 52 lakh has been sanctioned under this head. Improving facilities for treatment in animal bite cases is the third major step for improvement. For this, Rs nine lakh been earmarked.

Open Regional Diagnostic Centre at every district hospital would no doubt end the dependence on some selected major cities for diagnosis of complex diseases would come to an end.

It also augers well for health services in the state that the action plan of the state government for running national health programmes during the year 2008-09 has been approved by the Union government. This means that doctors would get increased emoluments while decks would be cleared for expansion of health services.

It may be mentioned that the state government had prepared an action plant for effective implementation of Union government's various health schemes including National Rural Health Mission, Reproductive and Child Health etc. The provisions incorporated in this action plan are going to turn a boon for doctors as well as health services.

These decisions were cleared by the State Health Committee's executive committee at its third meeting recently. Now doctors posted in difficult areas would be given about Rs ten thousand per month as special allowance. Its benefit would be cornered by expert doctors and post-graduate health officers posted as CMOC's in difficult terrains. Besides, Rs 5000 per month allowance would also be given by doctors posted at primary health centres in these areas.

Another benefit to some doctors would be their appointment as BMOC's at primary health centres under R.C.H. This benefit would be given to contractual doctors whose emoluments would be increased from Rs 15000 per month to Rs 20000. Similarly, emoluments of CMOC and BMOC nurses have also been raised from Rs 7500 to Rs 8000 per month. They would also get Rs 100 per month as house rent allowance.

Incentive money to the tune of Rs 200 would be given to each doctor on safe delivery. Importantly, if a private doctors works in the field of mother and child welfare, he would be given Rs 1000 per day honorarium and vehicle allowance at the rate of Rs five per kilometre. Similarly, Rs 2000 would be given per day to a doctors who renders his services in caesarian surgery in CMOC institutions and Rs five per kilometre as vehicle allowance. Besides, the honorarium of doctors under Maternal Health Training Programmes has also been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 500 per day.

These measure go to prove that the state government is serious about extending best medical services in both urban and rural areas and is not hesitating to allocate large chunks of money for this.