Minister Paiwang on tour for reviewing Nagaland health infrastructure

November 20, 2024 8 Views No Comment

Says it is for bettering services and amenities

Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 20

The Minister of Health & Family Welfare, P Paiwang Konyak, began what was claimed to be a tour for assessing the medical infrastructure and amenities in Nagaland. Konyak made the announcement at a press conference at the District Hospital (DH), Dimapur, on November 19, which happened to be the start-point of the tour.

Dimapur, Mokokchung, Longleng, Tuensang and Mon are in the itinerary of the first phase of the inspection tour. The other districts will be covered in subsequent phases, he informed. “We are concerned about the infrastructure development that has taken place. Wherever infrastructures are not completed, we are here to make sure that the infrastructure is completed. Wherever infrastructure are completed and not handed over to the department, we are here to take care of that. And also, to see that new infrastructure is put in place,” he said.

The walls of the hall, where the press call was conducted, displayed prominent cracks. The hall is located in the OPD and Diagnostics Block of the DH complex. Construction of the block was completed in 2017 as one part of a project — National Health Mission’s Forward Linkages Scheme — to upgrade the then 150-bed facility to a 200-bed hospital.

According to the Minister, he will be addressing shortage of medical personnel, especially doctors, at the district headquarters, and ensuring adequacy of equipments. He further urged the District Health Authorities, chaired by the Deputy Commissioners, to keep abreast with issues facing the government health establishments. He said, “These meetings are crucial for addressing issues such as land encroachment, a frequent problem in many districts.”

Effective utilisation of hospital funds was another. “We have sufficient funds, so we should make sure that the funds are judiciously utilised.”

He also touched on the issue of Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA). While stating that the government has taken a strong stance on the NPA, he commended doctors who have complied. NPA is a special allowance doled out to government doctors discouraging private practice. Instead of government doctors serving in the private hospitals, it should be the other way round, he said.

As far the Dimapur DH was concerned, he said that construction of a patient lodge and a canteen for patients and their attendants, and staff quarters within the hospital complex have been proposed. He said that sufficient space exists for these projects.

Food & Drug safety
Konyak informed the H&FW department is in the midst of an exercise assessing the quality of food and drugs found in the market, the report of which will be submitted to the Cabinet. He referred to an alleged influx of foreign food items without expiry and manufacturing date, and with no labelling in local languages. Besides becoming a health concern, he said that the foreign items with their lower price tags are impacting local entrepreneurs.

Similar assessments for fish and vegetable was said to be underway, as well.

He added that concurrently, officials from the H&FW Department are assessing pharmacies, checking for illegal drugs, as per ICMR guidelines, and license validity. He asserted that it must be the licenced pharmacist, who should be personally running the pharmacy.

DH Dimapur status
The Minister was asked whether the DH was fully operational or able to accommodate patients of the stated 200-bed capacity. “Yes,” he responded, while stating that the Department has even taken initiative to bring super-specialists from Delhi for OPD consultation at the DH, Dimapur, and NHAK, Kohima.

The Medical Superintendent of the DH, Dimapur, Dr Keveduyi Theyo, added that the District Hospital was fully functional.

According to him, all the basic departments — anesthesia, surgery, medicine, paediatrics, dermatology, ENT and ophthalmology — were functioning. It also has a dialysis unit with an intake capacity of 30 patients per session, twice daily.

While stating that the Operation Theatre and OPD were fully functional, he informed that a CT scan has been commissioned recently, supplementing the existing ultrasound and X-ray capabilities, with an in-house radiologist. He added that the hospital has a super-specialist neuro-surgeon, plastic surgeon, ENT surgeon and a neurologist.