Maharashtra govt issues directives to strengthen healthcare system

Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Monday directed officials to submit a proposal for framing a Health Policy and issued various instructions aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery and administration.

The minister instructed officials to follow up on the Women and Child Welfare Department’s government resolution to include staff from the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana in relevant operations.

He emphasised maintaining transparency in the transfer process of medical officers.

Administrative transfers of officers who have completed more than eight years in service should be conducted through consultation, followed by voluntary transfers, a health department release stated.

Transfers of officers in the S-23 pay scale will be based on performance evaluations. Inter-district transfers of Community Health Officers are to be completed by May 31, prioritising district preference, followed by intra-district placements, the minister stated.

Abitkar issued these directions at a meeting chaired by him with senior officials, including Health Secretary Nipun Vinayak.

He further directed that the service rules be amended to facilitate the promotion of Nursing Tutors to the post of Nursing Superintendent by including a 150-day training program on the agenda.

The minister asked officials to submit a proposal to induct contract employees under the National Health Mission into government service and increase their honorarium.

To address the shortage of Class I medical officers, the minister instructed that recruitment through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) be expedited.

Legal firms are to be appointed to draft amendments to the Bombay Nursing Home Act and related legislation, with the proposed bill to be tabled in the upcoming monsoon session, the release said.

The minister also approved an increase in incentives for Medical Assistance Cell staff and hiked compensation for ASHA workers from Rs 5 to Rs 20 per Ayushman Bharat card issued.

Additionally, he called for establishing medical assistance centres in Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Mumbai, and directed the formulation of a 150-day action plan for the Health Department. A rural sanitation and health campaign is also on the cards.

In a move to support healthcare workers in underserved regions, the minister directed the provision of special facilities for doctors posted in tribal and remote areas. Proposals for these facilities, along with supplementary budget demands for the fiscal year 2025, are to be submitted promptly.

As part of a broader healthcare push, 17 Cancer Day Care Centres, as announced in the Union Budget, will be set up. Campaigns for TB-Free Panchayats and Tobacco-Free Schools are also to be launched.

A supplementary demand of Rs 44 crore has been directed for submission to the Finance Department by May 31 to establish a new laboratory modelled on the National Institute of Virology.

For the PM MedCity program, the availability of 50 acres of land near airports in Kolhapur or Pune will be explored, the release said.

All supplementary demands and approved provisions for the 2025 budget must be compiled and submitted to the Finance Department before the May 31 deadline, the Minister added.