House okays four demands Oppn points to infrastructure shortage
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 25 2017: The State Manipur Legislative Assembly today passed four different demands whose total amount was Rs 1171,13,79,000 .

The four demands passed today pertained to Medical, Health and Family Welfare Services (Rs 605,80,68,000), Labour and Employment (Rs 54,20,91,000), Tribal Affairs and Hills Development (Rs 504,48,35,000) and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary including dairy farming (Rs 106,63,85,000) .

As usual, the demands were tabled by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Y Joykumar for due discussion and passage in the House .

Opposition Members K Ranjit, Kh Joykisan, Th Lokeshore, N Loken, K Meghachandra, Surjakumar Okram, D Korungthang, DD Thaisii and Fazur Rahim took part in the discussion by raising motions for disapproval of policy cuts .

The Opposition Members said that the Health Department has failed to take up effective measures to control outbreak of diseases in the aftermath of the recent flood .

While all major hospitals lack necessary equipment, the Health Department is unable to regularise the service of a large number of Nurses .

There is acute shortage of infrastructure at CHCs, PHCs and PHSCs, contended the Opposition Members .

Department of Tribal Affairs and Hills Development is unable to select genuine beneficiaries for several schemes while many schemes are not implemented properly .

While no effective policy has been formulated to enable Autonomous District Councils discharge their responsibilities fully, Ashram schools located in hill districts are not functioning properly .

The incumbent Government has not launched any new scheme for the welfare of tribal people, they said .

They further asserted that Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department has done nothing to preserve the rare Manipuri pony species .

They also pointed out that the Buffalo Farm located at Wabagai has flopped .

Referring to the observation about shortage of equipment, manpower and infrastructure at health care centres, Health Minister L Jayantakumar cited acute fund paucity and appealed to all the people to bear the situation for sometime .

But K Ranjit remarked that they often get nervous when the State Government said it had no fund after it was reportedly announced that there would not be any problem for fund for implementing welfare schemes and development programmes as BJP is in power both at the Centre and the State .

Jayantakumar clarified that funds sanctioned by the Central Government do not cover compound fences of CHCs and PHCs .

As such, the State Government must construct compound fences of PHCs and CHCs at its own expense but at the moment the State Government is reeling under acute fund paucity .

Even if the Chief Minister has recommended certain projects, there is no source of fund.

This is the predicament of the incumbent Government, he said .

Apart from the outbreak of Dengue and JE, two cases of H1N1 (Swine Flu) have also been detected while a person has died due to Scrub Typhus .

The Health Department has been taking up all possible measures within its capacity to tackle outbreak of diseases in the aftermath of the recent flood .

Targeted awareness programmes are also held at selected places.

Surveillance work has also been intensified by using mobile application WhatsApp, Jayantakumar informed the House .

Whereas the existing Government hospitals, CHCs and PHCs require 1385 doctors, 197 doctors have left their posts to pursue PG courses .

With some other doctors have gone to Manipur Rifles, there are only 474 doctors left .

Informing that Yairipok CHC has been providing 24×7 health care services, the Health Minister said that some of the doctors who have returned after completing PG courses would be sent to the CHC soon .

One major factor for the reluctance of doctors and nurses to go to far off places is absence of quarters.

The State Government has sent a proposal of Rs 200 crore to the Centre for construction of staff quarters for doctors and nurses .

All the expenses for implementation of National Health Mission are borne by the Central Government.

Appointment of doctors and staff are also done according to the Centre's guidelines.

As of now there is no provision for regularisation of nurses and other staff .

Nonetheless, the State Government may absorb them as per requirement in future.

The Government has initiated due procedures to release pending salaries of nurses posted at different district headquarters .

Most of PHSC buildings are constructed on plots provided by private individuals and these plots are not registered in the name of Health Department .

Many of the land owners are now saying that they would like to turn the PHSC buildings into cattle sheds.

The land owners provided plots for construction of PHSCs in the hope of getting a Grade IV job .

Given this situation, the Government would talk with the land owners and see what can be done, Jayantakumar informed the House.

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