SHILLONG, JUNE 10: The opposition asked the state government to first improve the health of its health department even as they expressed serious concern over the pathetic health care facilities in the different health centres across the state.
“The government should first restore the health of the health department before it extend such health care services to the people of the state,” United Democratic Party (UDP) legislator Paul Lyngdoh said while participating during a discussion on the motion on the style and functioning of the health department in the assembly on Tuesday.
Stating that there seems to be no clear directions in as far as the health sector is concerned, Lyngdoh said, “The health minister should convene regular review meetings at his level to have clear sense of direction with regards to the need of strengthening the department in term of manpower, medicines and equipments.”
Lyngdoh suggested the need to have some kind of audit to ensure supply of medicines and equipments are available in all the health centres set up by the government.
Pointing out that important facilities like dialysis and MRI machines are absent from the Shillong Civil Hospital, Lyngdoh said, “If this is the status of the hospital in the state capital then one would understand the conditions of the health care centers in district headquarters and other parts of the State.”
Saying that the government hospitals also do not have specialist doctors, Lyngdoh said, “We know people now a day’s comes to the hospital with various kinds of ailments. Therefore, we need doctors who are specialized to treat these ailments. This is major problem which are prevailing in all the government hospitals.”
Lyngdoh also said that there is acute shortage of manpower in the government hospitals especially in the laboratories even as he pointed out that even in the blood banks there is only a lab technician.
“We also found there are no blood banks in almost all the hospitals in the district headquarters. I remember that the ngos from Jaintia hills had hold agitation demanding the setting up of a blood bank in Jowai,” Lyngdoh said.
Lyngdoh also questioned the government for failing to set up a trauma centre along the national highways in the State. He said, “The trauma centre will be very useful incase if there is any accident along the highways.”
Participating in the motion, South Tura independent legislator John Leslee Sangma expressed concern over the shortage of manpower in the Tura Government hospital besides the non-functioning of the equipments.
Sangma said, “I am surprise to see the doctors are not able to operate despite many of the equipments which are inside the ICU in Tura.”
UDP legislator Titostarwell Chyne questioned the action taken by the state government against doctors who did their MBBS degree under State quota , but violated the bond signed between them and the government.
Chyne said while there is huge shortage of doctors in the state, the failure of these doctors who signed a bond with the government to return and serve in the state has further aggravated the situation. He said, “I strongly believe that the government should take stringent action against the erring doctors who failed to return to the State.”
In his reply, health and family welfare minister AL Hek assured the house that government will take steps to ensure that the health care services in the state is improved.
On the issue relating to shortage of doctors, Hek said, “Several notice have been served to such doctors and the department is also taking the help of the police to trace them to ensure they return back and served the state or else they have to pay the amount that the state government had spend for their courses.”
Hek also informed that the government is trying to bring the latest testing equipments to cater to the needs of the patients who are getting treatment in the government hospital.”
Admitted the need to set up more blood banks in the state, Hek informed the blood bank in Jowai is ready and they are waiting for the certification from the centre for making it operational.- By Our Reporter
they talked about bonded doctors since there is no one from their family….when these selfish politicians of meghalaya will have their own relatives they will forget this stupid bond signed infront of first class magistrate like wat Mukul Sangma said against the Agriculture graduate..