SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya on Tuesday issued notices to the health authorities of the Centre and the State government over the ‘pathetic’ health-care scenario provided by the hospitals here including the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS). Acting Chief Justice S R Sen issued notices to the Union Health Secretary, the State Chief Secretary, Health Secretary, NEIGRIHMS Director and Director of state Health Services asking them why proper order would not be passed against them.
Four practicing advocates — M F Diengdoh, J M Thangkhiew, B Das and D Nengnong — submitted a joint petition to acting Chief Justice S R Sen highlighting the deficiencies in the health services, including the super-specialty, North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in the State.
In their petition, the advocates informed that NEIGRIHMS, which was been set up in the State as a pioneer health institution and research centre does not have any super specialists and in many cases, patients have to be referred for treatment outside the State.
Moreover, they also said the Civil Hospital in Shillong, where most of the rural people are referred to by the Community Health Centres/Primary Health Centres, lack basic facilities in the treatment of most diseases.
Further, they said that these health centres invariably refer patients to Shillong even for basic ailments either because there are no competent doctors or due to non-availability of medicines.
“Even the private hospitals in our State do no posses expertise to treat many of the sickness and even if they do, they are too expensive for most of the people,” they stated.
After perusal of the petition, Chief justice Sen stated that there were prima facie issues involved, which need to be addressed at the earliest for the need of the poor and common people of the State.
In his order, Chief Justice Sen directed the Registrar General of the High Court to make Union Health Secretary, Government of India, Chief Secretary, Government of Meghalaya, Shillong, Secretary (Health), Government of Meghalaya, Shillong, Director NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, and Director of Health Services (MI), Government of Meghalaya, Shillong as respondents in the instant case.
The court has also appointed senior counsel T T Diengdoh and A Sinha as amicus curiae to assist the court while fixing the next hearing on the matter on February 9.
