* Reviewing the progress of land records digitization
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 4: Today, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo convened a meeting with officials from the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department to evaluate initiatives aimed at increasing the number of MBBS, Post-graduate (PG), and Post-Doctoral seats in medical colleges across J&K.
During this meeting, he also assessed enhancements in patient services and the status of numerous health projects implemented throughout the Union Territory.
Attendees included the Secretary of H&ME, Secretary of Public Works Department, Managing Director of NHM, principals of medical colleges, Directors of Health for Jammu and Kashmir, MD of JKMSCL, and various relevant officials.
Dulloo inquired with each Medical College Principal about their efforts to introduce specialized courses such as MD/MS, DM/MCH, and DNB in their respective hospitals.
He urged the principals of seven new medical colleges to take necessary actions to increase their MBBS seats from an initial capacity of 100 by an additional 50. He encouraged them to leverage available infrastructure and manpower to achieve this goal while also striving to introduce other specializations.
He recommended the development of a comprehensive action plan to enhance tertiary care services in all newly established Medical Colleges and District Hospitals within the next year.
Dulloo further assessed the available human resources in each medical institution and called for addressing any unfilled teaching vacancies. He emphasized the importance of filling Professor positions through the proper channels, as this workforce is vital for enhancing the services and courses provided.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed the current status of IT-based services, including Tele-ICU, e-Sanjeevani, Tele Radiology, and e-Sahaj in the hospitals of J&K. He proposed making health services more universal and efficient by swiftly implementing these technologies. Additionally, he advocated for linking remote districts to GMCs through the Tele-ICU program to reduce patient referrals from these areas.
Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary also held a meeting with the Revenue Department to assess the advancements made in digitizing land records.
Participants included the Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Principal Secretary of Finance, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Secretary of Revenue, SIO NIC, Director of Survey & Land Records, and other relevant officers. The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir and Deputy Commissioners participated via video conference from their respective offices.
During this meeting, Dulloo stressed the importance of accelerating the digitization initiative as most of the work has reportedly been completed. He noted that the next objective should be the integration of these records with geo-referenced cadastral maps for public accessibility.
The Chief Secretary emphasized the need for creating expert teams within the revenue department to visit districts and verify the accuracy of digitized records. He highlighted the importance of ensuring the quality of these records and encouraged the public to review their own records for discrepancies that can be rectified in a timely manner.
Additionally, Dulloo acknowledged the online services provided by the department to the public and urged officials to enforce the Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) timelines rigorously against violators.
