It is quite a revelation to know that infertility has become such a huge problem in Meghalaya judging from the infertility medicines procured by the Health Department of the Government in 2010-11, 2011-12. While the number of capsules ordered and delivered for curing male infertility in 2010-11 was 5000 the figures shot up to 20 lakh capsules in 2011-12 with an amount of Rs 7 crore being paid for the same. From the figures shown in the RTI answers it appears that East Garo Hills has the largest number of infertile males at 4 lakh capsules followed by South Garo Hills at 3.5 lakh and West Khasi Hills at 3.48 lakh. The figures go to show that the further away the district is from the state capital the higher the corruption. If there is such a high degree of male infertility then the National Family Health Survey (2012) which has red-flagged Meghalaya as the state with the highest fertility rate at above four children per woman would need to be countered by the Meghalaya Government. All surveys including those done by a group of scholars titled, “Fertility at District Level in India: Lessons from the 2011 Census,” (Frontline Aug. 11-24, 2012) have found Meghalaya along with Bihar to have an average fertility that is even higher than five children per woman. It is also intuitive that men in the most backward districts of Meghalaya are being projected as the most infertile. Surely this calls for new survey as it clashes with all past surveys which have also shown Meghalaya as a state with the highest decadal growth and with the lowest condom use.
Meghalaya has a pathetic record in drugs procurement. A former chief minister was known to have encouraged the procurement of expired medicines as a means of making money. That Rs 21 lakh was wasted out of the Rs 7.21 crore spent on procuring the infertility healing capsules is not a default but a meticulously orchestrated system. This is not the first time that there is a scam in medicine procurement by the Health Department and it will not be the last time. In the late 1980’s the Massar Committee had submitted a report regarding a Health Department scam at that time. There was naming and shaming as well but the whole thing was hushed up. Then, there was no RTI to find out the sordid details of the crime trail. Now officials and politicians cannot get away so easily. We can only urge for a more transparent system of drugs procurement in the State!
