zrul faces brickbats over healthcare

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Dec 9: Opposition legislators today hit out at Health minister zrul Islam in the Assembly, raising several lacus in the State healthcare system.

AGP MLA Keshav Mahanta alleged there is a "design" in the procurement of medicines by the Health department.

"Why is it that those medicines which are less in demand are procured more than those which are required most? Drugs which expire in three-four months' time are also purchased by the government. Piles of expired medicines can be seen in government hospitals stocks," Mahanta said.

Mahanta said that instead of indulging in blame game over the hike in prices of life-saving drugs, the State government should consider giving subsidy to ease the burden on the people.

The Koliabor legislator also alleged that many model hospitals are functioning without doctors.

"The government is yet to sanction doctors in some model hospitals. It should also streamline the doctor transfer policy. Some doctors are serving in Guwahati since ten/fifteen years. The PHCs and CHCs do not have money to buy fuel for generators," Mahanta said. He further pointed out it takes around ten days for a patient to get an MRI test done in GMCH.

MLA Mukundaram Choudhury raised the issue of shortage of ICU beds in government hospitals, which, he said, was leading to preventable deaths.

BPF's Kamal Singh rzary said many government hospitals do not have pharmacists and laboratory technicians.

"The Subaijhar model hospital in Bijni, which was iugurated two years back, is yet to have a doctor," he said.

AIUDF's Sheikh Shah Alam also wanted the government to regulate the services in private hospitals. In his response, Minister zrul Islam admitted the shortage of doctors in the State, but assured that all model hospitals will be made functiol within January next. He informed that the government has compiled a list of 165 essential medicines, and a mechanism has been put in place to ensure that drug procurement is not haphazard.

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