Chandigarh, May 8
Manish Tewari, Member of Parliament, Chandigarh and former Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, presided over the governing body meeting of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti at Government General Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh, today. Tewari stressed that the hospital should provide immediate primary, secondary and tertiary care to all the residents of Chandigarh, who access the facilities of the hospital in case of a medical emergency or otherwise for treatment of critical ailments.
Tewari also took stock of the functioning of the various dispensaries that are under the administrative superintendence of the General Hospital and that provide primary care to the residents of Chandigarh. He stressed that the primary health centers must also be brought up to speed so that people can go to these dispensaries or primary health centers in case of small ailments which do not require hospitalization.
Tewari also expressed concern at the growing menace of drug addiction, which has become rampant, especially in the relief and rehabilitation colonies and the 22 urban villages of Chandigarh. Tewari noted that wherever he went, women in large numbers would come out and express acute concern at the growing incidence of the proliferation of narcotic substances and their use, especially by young children.
Tewari stressed that all the drug rehabilitation facilities, be it the de-addiction center in Sector 18, Chandigarh, or the newly created facility in the General Hospital, Sector 16 or other such facilities, must be geared up in order to cater to people who do want to get themselves rehabilitated out of this scourge of addiction. He also stressed that the treatment to such people must be provided at the most economical cost possible.
Tewari expressed his appreciation at the fact that a large number of people in General Hospital, Chandigarh, were being provided free medical services in the outpatient departments and the emergency. He made it a point to sensitize the assembled members of the governing body that it is imperative that the expenditure which should be incurred out of the funds of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti should be on the capital side, that is to build capital assets and not on the revenue side, which should come out of the regular budget of the hospital provided by the Chandigarh Administration and the government of India.
Other members of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti, namely Waseem Mir, Krishna Pradhan, S.K. Khan, Rajiv Moudgil and Vinay Mishra, offered constructive suggestions as to how the basic infrastructure of health services in Chandigarh could be further strengthened in order to make healthcare available at an affordable cost to the large bulk of the poor and needy sections of society who cannot access healthcare in private hospitals.
Tewari stressed that the periodic review of the health facilities of Chandigarh would continue as education and health are two top priorities, especially given the fact that the younger generations, who are to become active participants in the national life of this country, require good education and they should be of sound health and of robust mind in order to make the necessary contribution to society. Other individuals who attended the meeting included Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh, Nishant Yadav; Director, Health Services, Dr. Suman Singh, other doctors of the Government General Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh; Chief Engineer of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh and various other officials from different departments within Chandigarh.
