Govt sets 2 month target to make health care institutions junk-free
The government has devised criteria for improvement of toilets, upkeep of the hospital, and making health care institutions in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory junk free.
Accordingly, the government has directed all the Heads of Departments (HoDs) of the Health and Medical Education Department to implement the criteria in all the health care institutions on an immediate basis so as to achieve the target within two months.
The directions have passed a week after a meeting in this regard was held under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary to the Government, Health and Medical Education Department Manoj Kumar Dwivedi. Two separate orders has been issued by the Health and Medical Education Department.
“After due deliberation upon the deliverables, it has been decided that the criteria for junk-free health care institutions, improvement of toilets and upkeep of hospitals needs to be devised and circulated among all the health care institutions of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for strict compliance, so as that all the hospitals will be junk free within two months”, the order reads.
As per the order, the HoDs have been asked to submit their action taken/compliance report in this regard to the Administrative Department as per the prescribed deadlines.
The HoDs have been asked to see that the criteria that there is no junk material in patient care areas, in open areas and corridors, in critical service areas. Also, HoDs has been asked to ensure that the hospital has demarcated space for keeping condemned junk material, documented and implemented condemnation policy,
Means of verification for the junk-free hospital for the HoDs has been asked to implement and check unused/ condemned articles, and outdated records are kept in the nursing stations OPD clinic wards, etc. Also to check unused/condemned equipment, vehicles, etc. are kept in the corridors, pathways, under the stairs, open areas roof tops balconies, etc.
And to check if unused articles and old records are kept in the labor room OT, injection room, dressing room, etc.
At the same the government has set the criteria for no dirt/ grease/ stains in the circulation area, no cobwebs/ bird nest/ dust on walls and roofs of corridors, no corridors are cleaned at least twice in the day with a wet mop, corridors are rigorously cleaned with scrubbing/flooding once in a month.
The other criteria include the availability of Detergent disinfection solution/hospital grade phenyl for cleaning purposes, use of three bucket systems for cleaning, no use of brooms in patient care, availability of closed drainage, and implementation of Biomedical Waste Rules 2016.
In response, the HoDs of the Health and Medical Education Department has been asked to implement and check the floors and walls of the corridors, waiting area, stairs, and rooftop for any visible or tangible dirt, grease stains, etc. To check that roof, walls, corners o Corridors, Waiting area, stairs, rooftop for any Cobweb Bird Nest, etc.
The HoDs have been asked to check some of the toilets randomly in indoor and outdoor areas for any visible dirt, grease, stains, and waste accumulation in toilets. Also to check the availability of mops, brooms, collection buckets, etc. as per the requirement and implement biomedical waste rules. written off condemned junk material, and committee for condemning junk material.
