THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Jan 6: The Palamu administration is all out to provide health cover to the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG), numbering a little over 14,000 and spread in 167 hamlets in 15 blocks of Palamu.
The care and attention of the particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) is under the aegis of the PM Janjatiya Adivasi Nayaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN).
DC Shashi Ranjan has directed the civil surgeon to ensure that PVTG gets Ayushman Card positively by February 15.
Ayushman Card
The Ayushman Card making in Palamu is very retarded, and there is an apparent lack of interest in its making.
Officials responsible for making Ayushman Cards have various reasons to offer for their slow and tardy achievements.
They blame mismatching of the names in Aadhar Card, inadequacy of biometric features, server down, etc.
However, they try to hide that other districts in Jharkhand are doing far better than Palamu, as if the better-doing districts are far more well-equipped.
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Sources said the DC Shashi Ranjan is quite peeved to see progress in making the Ayushman Card.
The DC has admonished the DPC (district programme coordinator) of the Ayushman Card to improve or face the music.
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CAG report on Ayushman
The audit report number 11/ 2023 of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on the performance audit of the Ayushman Bharat of Jharkhand finds Jharkhand in poor light, citing several places in audit report that empanelled health care providers (EHCPs) in Jharkhand have rendered beneficiaries to make ‘out of pocket expenditures’ in treatment whereas treatment worth five lakhs of rupees ought to come full and within the limits of it.
Many empanelled healthcare providers here in Palamu are no better in terms of services. DC Shashi Ranjan knows there needs to be honesty and hard work for the Ayushman card and its benefits.
The DC has given instructions to visit the hamlets of the PVTG instead of waiting for them to see the health centre.
Issues like cataracts, among them, have to be corrected. There be a health screening of them in a real sense and not in any perfunctory manner, asked the DC.
Civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar said, “I have been asking concerned officials to expedite Ayushman Card making. Following the DC’s instructions, there will now be more thrust on this work.”
Rural health care
Rural health care is still poor in Palamu. Reports suggest government health hubs at Untari Road and Mohammadganj blocks are yet to be functional medically. There has yet to be a doctor at each of these two health locations to date. Paramedics can’t be any preferential substitute for doctors.
Commenting on these two health locations Untari Road and Mohammadganj, the civil surgeon said, “The state government has done posting of the doctors here. They are coming here to join. I will see these two health hubs get at least a functional doctor soon.”
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