The reality of life is that Government health centres and hospitals are only frequented by the poor hence their services continue to remain poor. Government employees are the last to use government facilities because they take off to be treated at the best hospitals in the country at the first inkling of a health problem. Politicians even go abroad for treatment. They can afford it! The news that a private clinic is being run inside a government health centre in Mawsynram just shows how bad the supervision is. It is a fact that most government doctors continue with private practice even when they have been paid non-practising allowance. But that doctors continue with their misdemeanours shows that the Health Sector of Meghalaya is run in a laissez faire manner and doctors are accountable to no one. Clearly there is need for an ombudsman for this sector, or else government continues to spend money with no health outcomes.
In Meghalaya Vitamin A deficiency is rampant. In other states, under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the required Vitamin A dosage is given to babies from 6 to 59 months of age twice a year to prevent child mortality and morbidity. Children growing up with Vitamin A deficiency are also vulnerable to infectious diseases, night blindness and cognitive disabilities. Yet it is a sad story that beyond Shillong many children continue to suffer from Vitamin A deficiency and no one takes cognisance of this fact. The nutritional needs of children and pregnant women in Meghalaya are hardly met. They are malnourished or undernourished and this is the prime reason for infant and maternal mortality, which has remained constantly high in Meghalaya.
Detecting and reporting Vitamin deficiency is the brief of the doctors posted at Sub-centres, PHCs and CHCs. Based on their requirements the Government makes an indent of medicines. But when doctors are busy serving those who can pay for their services, those who cannot pay remain neglected. It is evident that in the Health sector of Meghalaya it is business as usual since doctors know that no action, not even a reprimand will come their way. Arrogance, insensitivity and a sense of disdain for the poor are characteristics that most government doctors reek of. Perhaps they were never meant to be doctors in the first place and became one by default. And the less said about the Hippocratic Oath the better. Most doctors have forgotten what’s written there. If at all there is one sector that requires public vigilance in Meghalaya then the Health sector certainly is!