PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun In a step that is expected to improve the medical health services in the State, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami presented appointment letters to 220 medical officers at an event held in the Mukhya Sevak Sadan here on Sunday. Referring to the newly appointed doctors as guardians of health rather than just doctors, the chief minister said that they will have to work towards facilitating cheap, convenient and more improved medical health services in the State. Dhami said that more than 11 lakh patients in the State had received cashless treatment worth more than Rs 21 crore so far. Special cardiology and neurology services are being provided in Srinagar while special cancer treatment facility is being provided in Haldwani. Helicopter service has also proved to be a lifesaver by facilitating medical treatment in emergency situations. This was also witnessed during the recent disaster at Dharali in Uttarkashi district, he said. Dhami further said that medical health services in the State had improved considerably with the majority of the medical tests being provided free of cost, modernisation of health centres, appointment of paramedical staff and the expansion of telemedicine services. The State government is working to establish a medical college in each district so that quality medical treatment can be provided at the local level across the State. The CM averred that Uttarakhand is setting records in all sectors and in a way leading the efforts to make India a developed nation. Addressing the gathering, the Health minister Dhan Singh Rawat said that appointments in the Health department had set a record under Dhami’s guidance. He said that out of the 220 newly appointed doctors, all will be posted in distant areas barring the four doctors appointed under the handicapped quota. The Health department will appoint more doctors, nurses and supporting staff in the near future, Rawat said. Blood donation camps will be held at 220 locations across the State from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17 to October 2. Health camps will also be organised in all villages, which will benefit more than 25 lakh people, the minister added. Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi said that the increased availability of supporting staff in distant areas along with the appointment of doctors will encourage the doctors to provide their services in such areas. Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal, MLAs Khajan Das, Rajkumar Pori and Sarita Kapoor along with Health secretary R Rajesh Kumar and Health director general Sunita Tamta were also present on the occasion.
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