Jammu: Congress leader and India’s  Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Monday  asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to raise the retirement age of doctors so that the health sector did not suffer for want of adequate staff.
Azad said this after inaugurating a 220-bed Super Speciality Hospital besides launching Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram (RBSK), Project Swasthya Slate and 102-J&K Referral Service under National Rural Health Mission here.
Regarding 102 referral service, he asked the state health minister to bring the remaining sanctioned 200 ambulances at the earliest.
Accompanied by Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, Azad said Jammu and Kashmir was the first state to get the Project Swasthya Slate to cover most difficult areas.
Azad said one more medical college has been sanctioned for Rajouri, thus raising the total number of newly sanctioned medical colleges to five.
He said the UPA government extended massive financial and moral support to all the states without any political, social or religious consideration.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdullah extended gratitude to Government of India  for giving special consideration to development of J&K in view of its tough terrain and hoped it will continue to do so in future also.
He also thanked Azad for transforming the healthcare profile of the state.

KR Desk