Decaying Manipur health care delivery system - 6 : Incomplete Hospitals

Dr Th Suresh *

The incomplete TB & Leprosy Hospital as on December 27 2014 :: Pix - TSE

Incomplete 100-bedded TB hospital and 30-bedded Leprosy Hospital at Keirao Wangkhem without electricity and water supply: Suggested treatment lines for improvement

Before I joined as DHS on the last day of February 2006, there were already talks of dismantling the TB and the Leprosy hospital at Chingmei-rong. This is to accommodate the greater plan of accommodating the High court and the Secretariat complex. When I joined, our Hon'ble CM was very keen to execute the same. We had inspected the site on 2/3 occasions to hasten the process.

The main difficulty was to find out a proper place for fresh construction. The more worrying facet was the construction for the same as it is time consuming. Unless it is completed, we cannot shift the 2 hospitals. Hospital construction and shifting is a serious business.

The other more difficulty was the various protests put up by the people residing there. With 1 Leprosy colony on that spot, it is all the more difficult again. They have also to be accommodated 1st. I still remember their protests. When Congress General Secretary i/c N-E Mr. Oscar Fernandez visited Manipur, the residents put up a memo to abandon the bigger plan, or at least spare their residences.

Accordingly, CM Shree Ibobi along with him visited Chingmeirong for spot inspection. I was, of course, there as Health Director. Later on, I had an impression that Oscar Fernandez had a soft spot for the Leprosy Colony and the plan might be abandoned. However, our CM had again taken interest after a few months and asked me to see other feasible site for shifting the 2 hospitals.

Though inwardly, I am definitely opposed to the plan of shifting, I did not openly express it for the simple reason that the plan cannot be cancelled altogether as the Lawyers had a strong lobby. Along with the proposed secretariat complex, If the cabinet so decide, it will be so. I have seen it with a bitter experience at the time of dismantling the erstwhile Imphal District hospital to accommodate a market place while I was Additional Director and president of the Manipur Health Services' Association in 2004. At the most, I can delay it during my time by citing some pretext or the other.

But the poor Lerosy Colony residences will suffer as they are bound to shift sooner or letter. Hence I wanted to accommodate them properly during my time, if possible. So, a search was on for a suitable site. During 2007, officially I was told that a site which was presently occupied by CDTC at Keirao Wangkhem with some building was available, and hence requested me to visit the site to see the feasibility.

Personally, I was happy to know that it had some building component; hence we can hasten the process of shifting, if found feasible. This will save at least 3/4 years process of building construction. My thought process was that other additional components can be implemented phase by phase. Hence, I, along with Dr. Pratap and our other planning staff members, visited the site.

It was found feasible, but the area is only about 7.3 acres and a little far away. It is exactly 13_! 2 km from 0 mile, 13 km from Sanjenthong, 5km from Kongba Bazar and 3 km. from Irinbung bridge. Further, I enquired and inspected the surroundings to see the availability of additional land to acquire. About another 3 acres belonging to a relative of 1 colleague doctor and another about 2 acres khas land were also available in the surroundings for settlement of Leprosy Colony Patients.

After pondering for about 1 week in the office, I decided that it is worth acquiring as no land with some building component was available. Hence I decided to send a proposal for approval along with further acquisition of another 5 acres to accommodate the Leprosy colony patients. My idea was that if these patients were accommodated near the hospital, they will get many facilities - treatment-wise and others.

After the proposal, I told the Hon'ble CM and Hon'ble MM about it. Later on, in a cabinet meeting, I requested CM to reimburse the colony patients thoroughly including providing a small house each in the proposed site. CM agreed and told me that it will be done. The process for additional land acquisition was also completed, only Govt. approval was awaited. Later on, I was told that the plan was abandoned and leprosy complex would be shifted to Lamlongei. Now, one can see the fiasco.

After Govt. approval, the same was acquired from CDTC along with the building complex after compensating them handsomely i.e. by paying Rs 45.54 lacks from our deptt. fund. Please mind you, I and my deptt. did not get a single cup of tea from the CDTC. One can verify it from them. We made it possible by running here and there and encasing the amount. All these are done to hasten the process.

Also, by earmarking funds from different heads, the process for repairing and modifications were started. Immediate provisions were water and electricity supply, bathrooms and toilets, modified rooms for x-ray and labs. and fencing. Some were completed and others are in completing stage. A sum of Rs 3.5 crores were sanctioned and enchased under SPA in March 2008 and kept under 8447 head for immediate use. When I left in May 2008, the position was that, somehow or the other, the 2 hospitals may be shifted within a year.

For this writ up, I had visited the complex on 20/02/2015. It is learnt that another 1.5 crores were also sanctioned for the same under SPA. In terms of %s, the complex is now complete for about 60%. Too much slow movement during this last 8 yrs., i.e. the period I left, is seen. Various slow processes in other areas of the health sector were highlighted in preceding articles in this newspaper.

During this visit, I learnt that the complex will now host only TB hospital complex. The unfinished portions are: i) glass fitting for the hospital, ii) no water supply plan iii) x-ray machine : it is still to be brought from Chingmeirong (now available) iv) unfinished 13 quarters (6 for doctors, 7 for nurses and others) v) no approach road. It is surprising that the hospital was shifted on 6/1/2015 even without the x-ray machine and other essential requirements like water supply and proper electricity. Our adhocism continued with medical directorate unable to withheld pressure and unable to stand up on its own feet.

Nearly 6/7 crore were spent with 8 years down the line; but only 60% is completed. Only if our fellow colleague doctors and state planning deptt. is stimulated, then the process can be hastened. State finance deptt. has also a big role to play in the overall process.

I don't know to whom to blame. Using planning process terminology, the whole process is the failure of the monitoring and evaluation mechanism. This is happening in every deptts. of the state. Ministers and high bureaucrats' inability to understand the whole planning process and their lack of interest is the whole crux of the problem. But, one cannot equate health and education deptts. with others. The 2 sectors have to be prioritised.

Responsible persons have to act and think in a war footing. Being the owner, greater slice of the blame has to be borne by the Health Deptt. and its Director though various factors contribute to this system failure. From the sideline, I only feel sad and disappointed. As an Opinion Maker, I only hope that responsible persons read it, hear it and act accordingly.