Fresh medicos can’t leave State for 10 yrs

In order to further improve the medicare facilities for the people of the State especially in the rural and far-flung areas, the Government is contemplating to make it mandatory for the fresh medicos to serve the State for ten years. A mechanism to this effect will be devised soon under which the doctors will not be allowed to take up jobs outside the country without serving the State for the specific period.

This was stated by the Minister for Health, Horticulture and Floriculture, Mr. Sham Lal Sharma at a function organized by the Kashmir Pharma Delegates in collaboration with a private pharmacy company here today.

Minister said that government incurs lot of money for training the doctors, but after getting the degrees, they leave for lucrative jobs and the people of the State suffer for want of Specialist services. Accordingly, taking the matter very serious, government has decided to put a halt on allowing doctors to proceed to foreign countries for jobs.

To streamline the process of procurement and distribution of medicines for the health department, the Minister said that the government would formulate an exclusive drug policy very soon. This will help in maintaining transparency in the purchase of quality medicines for the patients.

Responding to the demands of the Pharma Delegates, the Minister said that Government is aware of the problems being faced by them. He assured them that their genuine demands would be examined on priority for appropriate action. He admitted that Pharma trade has suffered badly due to turmoil and frequent shut downs in the Valley and assured that Government would take necessary steps in this regard.

Managing Director Vowcare Products, Mr. Gowher Ahmed Wani and MD Peerage Pharma, Mr. Lateef Ahmed Wani on behalf of the Kashmir Pharma Delegates submitted a memorandum of demands to the Minister. The demands include extension in exemption of sale tax, excise and other relevant taxes on the pattern of other States, hassle free procedures in raising bank loans, preference for purchasing medicines by the government from the local traders & manufacturers. Congress leader, S. Surinder Singh Channi also spoke on the occasion.