SHILLONG, JULY 1: Chairman of Meghalaya State Health Advisory (MSHA) Mayralborn Syiem on Monday reviewed the health sector in Ri Bhoi district particularly Nongpoh constituency.
Speaking to reporters, Syiem said the meeting has discussed the need to increase the infrastructure and upgrade the various health sub-centres to primary health centres (PHCs).
“I have taken up this issue and the proposal to upgrade Umshken sub centre to PHC will be taken up within this financial year. I am following up this issue with the concerned health minister, with the chief minister in-charge of finance, to ensure that it has to come from as soon as possible,” he said.
The Nongpoh MLA said creation of new sub centres at Mawlong, Nongpoh Proper, Umrang, Sohkhwai, Sakhoguna – were also discussed.
Stating that there are many issues in regards to the Nongpoh civil hospital, Syiem said, “I have been receiving several complaints from the public in the past as representative from Nongpoh in particular. I have asked the officials to speed up implementation of several equipment that has to be installed. For example, the installation of city scan, installation of a dialysis centre at the same time, up-gradation of ultrasound, especially for pregnant women who are there on a daily basis in Nongpoh Hospital.”
In order to decongest the civil hospital at Nongpoh, Syiem said, “There is a need to shift the residential quarters of the staff to another location. I appeal to the traditional head to the headman, to donate the land voluntarily so that we can shift the residential complex to another location within the radius of three to five kilometres of Nongpoh town, so that we can expand the building behind where the existing residential building is right now.”
“We hope that the traditional head and the headman will voluntarily give the land, so that it can shift and we can expand from 100 bedded to 200 or 250 or so, so that we can qualify as I have said before also Ri-bhoi being aspirational district, qualify to have one medical college. The criteria of the NITI Ayog is that, any district hospital within an aspirational district, they should have a minimum of 200 to 250 bed hospitals then they can convert as medical colleges,” he said.
“Till now at present we don’t have so much beds, so we are in the process to find out ways and means and I am thankful to the government for the positive response, to the minister, to the official, who are there in the ground to ensure that this has to happen and I hope that they will come up in the days to come,” he said.
Asked, Syiem said, “The NITI Ayog government of India has strictly laid down parameters for qualifying to have medical college. Number one, any district hospital should have a minimum of 200-250 bed hospital, so far in Nongpoh we don’t have, we have only 100 bedded hospital.
Being an aspirational District we are entitled to have but we cannot meet the criteria, so we have to position ourselves first then we can demand the medical college,” he added.