Health Minister reviews functioning of Jorhat Medical College Hospital

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, August 17: In continuation of his visit to various government medical hospitals, Health Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who reached Jorhat on Tuesday and after an overnight stay, on Wednesday visited the Jorhat Medical College and  Hospital (JMCH) to take a quick review on its functioning. The Minister was accompanied by BJP MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Khumtai MLA Mril Saikia.

Briefing media persons, the Health Minister said, “We want to start postgraduate courses at JMCH like anesthesia, medicine and surgery and just two years back we started non-clinical courses like Pharmacology and Physiology. As a rule, PG courses should have started after the commencement of the non-clinical courses but MCI (Medical Council of India) later declined to give us permission. It was an unfortute decision and hence we have decided to start the courses once again from 2017 and for this we will sanction 29 faculty posts. On the other hand, I have also decided to introduce a Cardiac Cath Lab machine designed to see the percentage of blockage of one’s heart. The machine will cost around Rs 8 crore and is already in GMCH and AMCH.”

The minister further reiterated, “In order to remove the fincial crunch related to building construction and infrastructure development that we had started under the second phase of development worth Rs 50 crore, works of which had been stalled, I have ordered the immediate release of Rs 12 crore from NRHM fund. Additiolly, we will also start the Central Government-aided Amrit Pharmacy through which patients will be able to purchase medicines at a special rebate of 14 pc to 90 pc, other than the medicines which we provide in the government hospitals. Regarding the issue of attendance of professors, doctors and medical staff, I will soon implement bio-metric devise from October. Starting from the Principal, Vice Principal and Superintendent all will have to give their fingerprint without which there will be no salary.”

But in between the Health Minister’s visit to Jorhat on Tuesday night and late night meeting with many representatives till 1 AM, it has been alleged that there was a vital lapse in the minister’s security cover. One source from the BJP party on condition of anonymity said, “After the people and MP left, the Health Minister, who was about to retire for the night, was apprised of a negligible security cover which is in total violation of the protocol of the kind of a security that is to be provided to a cabinet minister. However, later on the intervention of electronic media jourlists and a few phone calls by the minister himself to top police officials of the State, additiol security personnel were deployed for the minister’s security who remained till the minister filly departed from Jorhat. We will soon demand a high-level enquiry because we know that the entire responsibility of the security of cabinet ministers lies with the SP and the DC of the district.”