Reluctance of Govt docs to serve in villages hits patients hard
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The health scenario of Meghalaya is pathetic especially in the remote areas. The main reason for this dismal condition is the refusal of majority of the Government doctors in the State to work in the rural areas.
The doctors are refusing to work in the rural areas not because of the fear of militancy as is the case of the doctors in Assam but it is simply because of the lack of creature comforts.
Adding to the recurring problem of reluctance on the part of some government doctors to serve in rural areas, the trend of doctors posted in remote areas frequenting Shillong to work in private hospitals has become a cause of worry for the Meghalaya health department.
Since the State Government is not paying ‘non practicing allowance’ to the doctors many tend to take up private practice on the sly.
It is also learnt that there is also an ongoing trend with many of the doctors posted in rural areas to forego their duty there and come to Shillong to serve in private hospitals, an official with the state health department revealed.
“We have come across such cases and the department is concerned over the matter” a senior government official said recently.
It may be recalled that a two and half year old child from Pyndensohsaw near Mawsynram who was suffering from dysentery recently died only because there was no doctor at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Tyrsad, East Khasi Hills.
Actually, the parents of the child tried to bring the child to Shillong for treatment but he passed away even before reaching the hospital.
This is one only such example. There are many instances where people have lost their near and dear ones due to the unavailability of doctors at the various health centres in the rural areas at the time of emergency.
It is also learnt that doctors go to the health centres only once week (on market days) which is really causing a lot of inconvenience to the general public.
It is learnt that a doctor posted at the PHC in Nongthliew which is few kilometres away from Sohiong in East Khasi Hills comes to the health centre only during the weekly market day.
The people of Nongthliew village and its adjoining areas suffer a great deal owing to the unavailability of the doctors most days of the week.
Due to the alleged neglect of rural areas both by the government and its doctors many patients from rural areas throng the city government hospitals and also private hospitals at great cost. The reason? Doctors are not available in the Primary Health Centers (PHCs) or Community Health Centers (CHCs).
The Shillong Civil Hospital is overcrowded and some are accommodated in the verandah of the hospital with separate beds.
There are patients from remote Mairang and other villages of West Khasi Hills getting admitted in Shillong Civil Hospital for treatment of various illnesses.
The deputy chief minister in charge health, Rowell Lyngdoh who also hails from West Khasi Hills admitted that there is a shortage of general and specialist doctors in the rural areas of the state which compel the villagers to flock to Shillong.
There are complaints from various quarters about the non functioning of PHCs and CHCs in the rural areas of the state due to the absence of doctors and lack of other necessary infrastructure including proper water supply and electricity.
There are several instances where NGOs had threatened to agitate to make the PHCs and CHCs functional.
A PHC at Maweit a hamlet in remote West Khasi Hills has neither electricity nor water supply .
Another primary health centre at Khongjoy also in the same district is in bad shape as there is no proper infrastructure.
Recently, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People Mawphlang circle has asked the health department to appoint a doctor at Mawphlang PHC.
They said that after the transfer of the doctor on November 16, the government had not made any appointment.
The norm for setting up of a PHC is that the locality should have a population of 20,000 and in hilly place like Meghalaya, many PHCs are catering to a population of less than 20,000.
An official with the health department said that in some areas, there are too many PHCs as they were constructed due to political compulsions while in some areas the PHCs are scanty,
As per official status report, there are 14 government hospitals in the state and another five are under construction . The number of Community Health Centers (CHCs) sanctioned in the state are 36 and out of this 28 are functional , six are under construction and 2 are non- functional.
The government has sanctioned as many as 139 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) of which 108 are functional and two are non functional. While 9 are under construction 21 were upgraded to CHCs.
Out of a total of 460 sub centers, 401 are functional and 9 remained non functional. 16 are under construction and 35 were upgrades to PHCs.
There a total of 23 dispensaries in Meghalaya. OF this, 13 are functional . 10 were upgraded to PHCs.
The government has also handed over 2 CHCs and 10 PHCs to NGOs for their smooth functioning. One primary health center at Wahkaji was handed over to Uranium Corporation of India Limited .
A PHC should have at least one doctor, nurses and other medical staff where as a CHC should have four general doctors and four specialist doctors.
However in reality there are no specialists in many of the CHCs and even in many district hospitals.
Except Shillong and Tura, there are no specialists posted in any other hospital. Even in Shillong and Tura, there are less number of specialists. While there are a total of 75 specialists in the state, the requirement is 150.