Assam paramedic institutes languishing

State healthcare undermined as five institutes of Paramedical Sciences remain headless, bereft of committed teachers

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, June 14: The criticism over poor health indicators in Assam notwithstanding, Dispur continues to ignore healthcare needs.

This is evident from the functioning of five institutes of paramedical sciences in the State set up in 2008.

The government had announced three institutes of paramedical sciences seven years back. Three of them were attached to the medical colleges at Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar. Later, two others were established at the medical colleges at Jorhat and Barpeta.

The Directorate of Medical Examition had then announced that posts of principals and other staff would be created gradually, while training will be imparted to students by the faculty of the medical colleges.

However, the announcements are yet to materialize.

The institute attached to the GMCH got a principal, but the post fell vacant when the official was appointed as Director in the State Health department. The government failed to appoint principals and other office staff at the other four paramedical institutes. The institutes also do not have any demonstrators.

The students intake capacity of the five institutes is around 600.

Sources in the Health department said the classes in the institutes are not regular. "The professors of the medical colleges are not given any additiol remuneration for taking classes at the paramedical institutes and so they are casual about it," said the sources.

This plight of these institutes is bound to raise questions about the quality of training received by paramedical professiols in the State.

According to a survey by the tiol Health Mission, there is shortage of paramedical staff in the State's Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs). There is a shortage of over 2,000 male health workers and 500 female health workers at the sub-centers.

Shortage of health assistants at the PHCs is nearly 1,000.

Against the required 109 radiographers at CHCs, only 65 are in place.

The State also requires over 1,200 more health sub-centers and over 120 CHCs, according to the study.