Nitesh Sangral

Doctors-drug mafia nexus misleading public over generic drugs: DAK 4/16/2015 Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report    Jammu, Apr 16: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK), Resident Doctor's Association (RDA) and other medical fraternity are loggerheads over the State government order asking doctors to prescribe generic medicines to the patient in government hospitals instead of the branded drugs. Pertinently, State drug policy was sanctioned in January 2012 to keep quality and cheaper medicines available for patients in government hospitals and check influx of spurious drugs. Talking Early Times, President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan supported the government's order regarding prescribing generic drugs in the government run hospitals in the State. He alleged that the doctor-drug mafia nexus is misleading public by disseminating false information regarding drug policy in general and generic drugs in particular for opposing drug policy these doctors along with their higher ...

4/15/2015  Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report  Jammu, Apr 14 : After missing first deadline, the work on maternity hospital Gandhi Nagar is now expected to be completed next year. Work on the hospital was started in 2012-13 and the project was to be completed by the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board by 2014-15. Later, due to alleged political interference, the Roads and Buildings Department took over the construction work. Keeping in view overcrowded Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) hospital, the state government had proposed the 200 bed maternity hospital. Sources said the hospital missed the deadline due to slow funding from the government of India and the state government. "Lack of interest shown by the concerned authorities also caused the delay. Now if funds are released promptly, the project would be completed by ending 2015-16 financial year," official sources told Early Times. Admitting that the funds have been delayed, Commissioner Secretary for Hea...

4/12/2015   Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report  Jammu, Apr 12: Endoscopy machine at the super-specialty hospital here has been defunct for the past five months due to which patients are facing tremendous inconvenience. "Sometimes patients and their attendants visiting the hospital accuse doctors of being in hand in glove with the private diagnostic centers as doctors refer the patients to the private centres, where they have to pay huge amount for getting the endoscopy done, "sources told Early Times. Slamming the lackadaisical attitude of doctors as well as officials of the Health department, an attendant, Kasev Singh said, "We have been visiting the hospital for past many days for endoscopy test. At last we were told that endoscopy machine is not working. We paid Rs 1200 for the test in a private laboratory." Admitting the endoscopy machine is lying defunct Medical Superintendent, Super-specialty Hospital Jammu Dr Romesh Gupta said that the m...

4/9/2015   Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report   Jammu, Apr 9: Recent reshuffle of doctors in the department of health has complicated the situation in several important hospitals of region which were already facing difficulties due to pressing scarcity of doctors, especially the specialists. As per data, in District Hospital Udhampur, there are 4 sanctioned posts of gynecologists, of which 3 are vacant; against 2 posts of physicians 1 is vacant, against 22 posts of Medical officers, 11 are vacant, out of 2 posts of Surgeons, 1 is vacant; against 2 posts of anesthetists, 1 is vacant, against 2 posts of pediatrician 1 is vacant besides several other vacant positions. Similarly in district hospital Ramban, out of 2 sanctioned post for orthopedicians, 1 is vacant, only post of pediatrician is vacant, while 2 posts of gynecologists are vacant; 2 posts of Surgeons are vacant, the only post of physician is lying vacant and out of 7 posts of Medical Officers, 3 are vac...

4/8/2015 Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report  Jammu, Apr 8: Recently made functional, the toll plaza established by National Higher Authority of India (NHAI) at Bantalab is looting the road users with impunity, as operators/ collectors are over-charging against the fixed taxes. However, the NHAI authorities claimed that the toll plaza has been sublet to a private firm, Eagle Infra India Ltd, and the company is charging genuine tax. Pritam, a road user who has witnessed malpractice of tax collectors, while his visit to Udhampur, told Early Times that he was going to Udhampur, tax collectors at toll plaza charged Rs. 75 and same amount was charged when he was returning. "One has to pay Rs 150, if one visits Udhmapur for several hours", he said. "Registration slips are not being properly filled by the tax collectors, it reflects something fishy, such tactics are being used to fleecing innocent people," he narrated. Interestingly, except tax collectors, no...

4/7/2015 Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report     Jammu, Apr 7: Beyond boating claims of providing best patient care in the Government Medical College Hospital, the premier healthcare institute of the region, presents a sordid saga of poor administration and lack of accountability as bedsides poor general cleanliness, cigarette butts and empty liquor bottles have been found in the wards. Pictures (ward number 2) of Cigarette butts and empty bottles and pouches of liquor littered around on the floor near the operation theater in ward number 2 in possession with Early Times mock at the claims of the hospital administration which had been claiming better facilities for the patients. Reliable Sources informed Early Times that patients' attendants and even hospital staff on night duty consumes alcohol without any fear and throw bottles around carelessly. "Owing to lackadaisical approach of the hospital administration, it failed to prevent the consumption of alcohol ...

Traders, commoners aghast over NHAI proposal 4/6/2015   Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report  Jammu, Apr 5: Jammuities criticized the proposed move of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to levy user charges on vehicles plying on Jammu-Lakhanpur and Jammu-Udhampur stretch. They have described it as anti- Jammu and antii-people. They alleged that government has been taking Rs. 2 per litre on petrol and diesel for road maintenance, clearly shows common fleeced by the NHAI. However, the authority of NHAI claimed that the amount collected on petrol and diesel is not enough to maintain National Highway. The NHAI received only eight thousands crore for maintenance. Sources raised some questions on the move of NHAI toward toll tax, the huge amount collected per day by cess Rs 2 on petrol and diesel from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, where the amount collected is going? Why authority isn't using total amount collected in the name of four lane maintenance? Something...

4/3/2015 Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report  Jammu, April 2: Not a single camp was held in Jammu today to mark World Autism Awareness Day, reflecting government’s non-seriousness in fighting the crippling disease. Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people. According to sources, on an average two autistic children are brought to hospitals every week in Jammu province. “The number of autistic children might be high as a lot of cases are not reported because of lack of awareness among people about the disease,” the sources told Early Times. “Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu is dealing with such cases but they lack a trained staff as well as required facilities to deal with austistic patients. The Health Department has also done little to establish facilities so that autistic children could get proper treatment , “they said. A do...