NHSR team set to inspect private hospitals
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 01 2016: A team of the National Health Services Research (NHSR) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India would arrive here next week to inspect private hospitals and their equipment.

This was stated by Health and Family Welfare Minister Phungzathang Tonsing while discussing a demand for grant pertaining to Health and Family Welfare Department in the State Assembly today.

Fixing diagnosis and treatment charges by private hospitals on their whims and Government doctors practising at private hospitals is a major current issue in the State and the same practice needs to be checked, Phungzathang stated.

The question of cancelling non-practising allowance of Government doctors is being examined by referring to other States.

Manipur Legislative Assembly

Efforts are also on to make private hospitals display treatment charges and other details.

The matter has been already discussed with MDs of private hospitals.

Participating in the discussion, MLAs L Ibomcha, Dr I Ibohalbi, Th Shyamkumar and Kh Joykishan raised policy cut motions citing different reasons.

Although appointment of regular Director for RIMS is not within the purview of the State Government, the State would certainly take up the matter with the Government of India's relevant Ministry, explained Phungzathang.

As for JNIMS, the State Government has been working to appoint a regular Director.

Due initiatives have been launched to make 60 PHCs out of the State's total 85 PHCs function round the clock.

These PHCs should have a total of 3554 sanctioned posts of doctors.

But at present, only 2405 doctors have been working which means 1133 posts are vacant, Phungzathang stated.

Supplementing the Health and Family Welfare Minister, Chief Minister O Ibobi stated that JNIMS has been given permanent recognition by the MCI as a 100-bedded hospital cum medical institute.

The Ministry has assured monetary assistance of Rs two crore for increasing the number of MBBS seats and development of necessary infrastructure.

The State Government has been examining to increase the number of MBBS seats by 50.Altogether seven demands were tabled by the Chief Minister during today's Assembly session.

The demands pertained to Medical Health and Family Welfare, Labour and Employment, Environment and Forest, Community and Rural Development, PHED, Panchayat and Horticulture and Soil Conservation.

Later, all the seven demands which amounted to Rs 1767,12,49,000 were passed by the House.

Joining the discussion, RD&PR Minister Francis Ngajokpa asserted that there was no case of committing anomalies while implementing Central Sponsored Schemes (CSS) .

Money sanctioned for CSSs is deducted by 12 per cent every day if it is entered in the State account.

As such, there is no question of delaying these schemes.

The proposal for hiking MLA Local Area Development Fund has been put forward to the Chief Minister.

The complaint regarding variation in the honorariums of ADC Members and ZP Members has been discussed repeatedly by the State Cabinet, Francis informed the House.

Environment and Forest Minister Th Debendra, citing a report published by the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun recently, said the State's total forest cover is 16,994 sq Kms.

At present, the National Afforestation Programme and the National Bamboo Mission are two key projects being implemented for protection and preservation of forests.

For the current financial years, Rs 2.03 crore has been sanctioned to the State under National Afforestation Programme and another Rs 7 crore under National Bamboo Mission, Debendra stated.

Moreover, the Green India Mission would be launched in the State soon.

A firm based in Germany has been working to preserve wetlands and protect catchment areas of Imphal river and Singda river as an external and aided project at the cost of around Rs 500 crore.

The is no case of encroachment and felling trees by Myanmar Nationals inside the territory of Manipur.

Felling trees and cultivation of poppy on Nongmaiching which was detected recently has been examined and necessary measures have been initiated to check such activities in future, Debendra added.

Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam who is also in charge of Horticulture said that poor power supply is the biggest stumbling block to opening cold storage plants in the State.

Nonetheless, power supply situation has improved considerably in the last couple of years.

As such a cold storage plant would be opened soon and fresh measures would be taken up to revive Magfruit industry at Nilakuthi Food Park, Gaikhangam said.

PHE Minister I Hemochandra stated an investment of Rs 1800 crore would be needed to effectively address the issue of potable water shortage in the State.

As the requisite money is quite huge, the issue must be addressed in phased manner.

Hemochandra stated all possible measures would be taken up to address the issue as far as possible.