Public Accounts Committee holds meeting in Srinagar

Srinagar, Aug 4: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the J&K Legislative Assembly today convened a meeting at the Assembly Complex in Srinagar to review the audit paras pertaining to the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department.

The meeting was chaired by PAC Chairman Sham Lal Sharma and attended by members including Mubarak Gul, Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurezi), Qaysar Jamshaid Lone, Altaf Ahmed Wani (Kaloo), Javid Hassan Baig, Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal and Sajad Shaheen.

During the session, the Committee conducted a detailed examination of Audit Paras 3.8 and 3.9 from the year 2000–01 and 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 from 2017–18, pertaining to the H&ME Department.

The Committee deliberated on several key issues including the construction of an Animal House at the Food and Drug Laboratory Jammu, testing of antibiotics and innovative drugs in the laboratory, functionality of air conditioners and related infrastructure and the wasteful expenditure on imported dental units by Dental College Srinagar. Other matters discussed included the establishment of spinal injury centres, the non-establishment of a swine flu testing laboratory at GMC Jammu and the non-functional status of the Trauma Centre at Khelani.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman Sham Lal Sharma called for strengthening the healthcare services and upgrading infrastructure across all health institutions in Jammu and Kashmir. He emphasised the need to provide affordable and accessible healthcare in remote and far-flung areas such as Gurez, Tanghdar, Bani and Basoli. He also highlighted the importance of adopting best practices from other states to improve healthcare delivery.

The Chairman underscored the vital role of the Health Department in the social sector and stressed the need for greater transparency, accountability and seriousness in its functioning. He emphasised the need for the establishment of trauma healthcare infrastructure at all designated locations to ensure prompt and effective medical care for trauma patients.

To ensure efficient oversight, the Chairman directed that sub-committees be constituted to inspect the functioning of Biosafety Laboratories and Spinal Injury Centres in both Srinagar and Jammu divisions. He also stressed the importance of fostering a sense of duty and accountability among doctors and paramedical staff. He called for consistent efforts to improve the work culture in all healthcare institutions across J&K.