‘Enhance honorarium for NHM employees, ASHA workers’
New Delhi: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, on Monday participated in the 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) at Vigyan Bhawan here, raising key demands including early establishment of Trauma Hospitals in Surankote (Poonch) and Uri (Baramulla), enhancement of honorarium for NHM employees and ASHA workers, and timely completion of AIIMS Awantipora.
The conference was chaired by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, and attended by Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare, Health Ministers of all States and UTs, and other senior officers.
Sakeena Itoo highlighted the need for early establishment of Trauma Hospitals in Surankote (Poonch) and Uri (Baramulla) to cater to health emergencies during war or natural calamities, and demanded bullet-proof ambulances in these areas. She also called for enhancement of honorarium of NHM employees and ASHA workers, stating that no enhancement has been made in the last ten years.
The J&K Health Minister demanded timely completion of AIIMS Awantipora, highlighting that this national project will revolutionize the healthcare system in Kashmir valley. Union Minister Nadda assured early completion, adding that ₹250 crore has been recently released for the project. Itoo also demanded increasing PG/MD seats in health institutions of J&K, with the Union Minister asking her to submit a proposal for the same.
The Union Minister assured that necessary requirements for upgradation of existing trauma hospitals would be addressed on priority.
During the conference, Sakeena Itoo presented a detailed outline on flagship health programmes being implemented across Jammu and Kashmir, besides the future roadmap for achieving universal access to affordable, equitable, and quality healthcare in the Union Territory. The conference served as a platform to brainstorm on key national health programmes, deliberate on emerging public health priorities, and strengthen Centre-State collaborations for improving healthcare delivery across the country.