Decaying Manipur healthcare delivery system – 10

Dr Th Suresh Singh *

Your writer has now written enough articles on health related topics with critical reviews along with incorporating various suggested treatment lines. Let me now deal with this building complex which is in a dormant stage even after 10 yrs. of construction. This TB building started construction in the early part 2006 as the previous well-constructed building complex (now dental college) was to be handed over to RIMS to accommodate its coming up dental college.

Our TB complex was a livewire for our State TB programme as State TB Officer (STO) and State TB lab along with State TB reference centre were functioning from there. Later on, it housed STO & Imphal West TB office after bifurcated into Imphal East and West. With consistent pressure from the cabinet to hand over the same to RIMS along with our State Health Transport Organisation (SHTO) complex and General Nursing School + hostel complex, as a DHS, I could no longer deny the same.

The decision to hand over these was taken long before I joined as DHS. For JN School and hostel, an updated nursing college and hostel was already in advanced stage of construction. For the TB Complex, even foundation was not properly laid. For SHTO, which is under 1 supervisory Engineer (SE), no arrangement was ever made of. These were left hanging for the last 6/7 yrs. without proper alternative planning.

Besides these, there was no building for State Blindness Control Programme and School Health Section. Both were functioning from a make-shift arrangement. Our previous directors had to be blamed for this – for their inability to stand up to their feet, for their inability to insist on an alternative site with construction. Before I took up as DHS, CM, Chief Secretary and other dignitaries visited the site on many occasions because of consistent pressure from RIMS, especially for the upcoming Dental College. It is a matter of time that we vacate these complexes.

During my time also, 3/4 such visits took place with constant pressure to hand over these sites to RIMS. It was repeatedly discussed in various cabinet meetings in the presence of Director RIMS. Our CM, other Cabinet Ministers and Chief Secretary Jurnail Singh was all for RIMS.

Their main theme of asking me and medical directorate was – when you will hand over? Their support to RIMS expansion was genuine; everybody wants the college to develop into a high standard one. My only concern was that there was no alternative site to move. RIMS even wanted to take over the 6 quarter complexes belonging to Medical Directorate on either side of present Officers’ Club.

Realising that I can delay it for a year or so at the most, I started to look for alternative sites. It was impossible to wait for fresh construction which will take 3/4 yrs. at least. I also wanted to help JNIMS in establishing its own dental college at our present site.

However, my main concern is our National TB control programme and State Health Transport Section with its huge machinery and where to shift these. In various meetings with Add. Directors and others, I often lamented for this lake of imagination of ours, of our inability to submit our requirements and our own timidness and unable to stand up in our own feet.

A cunning idea, however, cropped up in my mind at that juncture. Sooner or later, the 6 quarters had also to be handed over to JNIMS; it was a matter of time. Hence, why not shift these offices and others to these 6 quarters. This will kill 2 birds with 1 stone i.e. let RIMS have their dental college and let us save our 6 quarters. I discussed the plan with my subordinates and started to execute them.

Required sum was sanctioned from Directorate contingency plan for sifting these complexes to the aforesaid 6 quarters. With great difficulty, necessary repair works were done in consultation with those programme officers and SHTO i.e. garage section. Remember, we have a huge garage section under one SE and occupying a vast area with all those big costly instruments etc.

The repairing work was executed swiftly and effectively within 3/4 months. I must congratulate our staff for this. The shifting was done in July 2007. The garage was accommodated to 3 quarters, STO & Imphal West TB Office complex was shifted to 1 quarter, State Blindness Control Office was accommodated to another one and School Health Section occupied the remaining one. The aforesaid 2 complexes were handed over to RIMS.

I had that misfortune of executing and seeing those huge buildings dismantled in my tenure. It was very sad and disheartening. Had my predecessors planned properly, it could have saved that ugly episode and those complexes could have been accommodated to proper places.

I however, felt satisfied that, somehow or other, 4 important sections of the medical directorate was given temporary shelter and 6 quarter complexes were saved from the clutches of RIMS. These are still functioning there presently also without any plan of alternative expansion. All the programme officers and garage engineer are living testimony of what I wrote above. They, however, felt very happy at the arrangement.

Coming back to the main theme, the above building was started construction in early 2006 i.e. just after I joined as DHS. A sum of Rs 30 lakh was sanctioned for the same. Imphal West TB officer Dr. Khamba came one day in the early part of my tenure and requested for spot inspection and speedy construction as his complex is to be dismantled soon. We did so and found it at a snail’s pace.

Because of the tardy progress, I had to call the contractor and the constructing Agency MTDC repeatedly for completion and compliance. In spite of this, the progress was tardy. I even reported the matter to Secretary, health. He also visited the site 2/3 times and pulled up the contractor and the constructing agency.

Finally around Oct/Nov 2007, some progress was seen and another bunch of sanction of Rs 50 lakh was moved and encased in Feb/March 2008 for the building complex. It was kept encased in the account when I demit office in May 2008. It was expected to complete in a year or so.

But 10 years down the line, one can see the situation as seen in the picture above, nothing more to add. It is learnt that another about 30 lakh was also sanctioned in 2009; but nothing happened. It is sheer wastage of Rs 1.1 crore of state exchequer. The same is true for many Health and Family welfare buildings – all started with museum effect, but remained incomplete for years and years on. It is a sad affair.

I cannot do much except to point out these to our concerned colleague directors, bureaucrats and ministers for their prompt action and systemic planning and implementation.