SHILLONG: The ongoing crisis in NEIGRIHMS has taken a new twist with the proprietor of Sanjo Medical, Sanibha Khonglamet, filing an FIR with the police and a petition to women’s commission against NEIGRIHMS director Dr DM Thappa.
Thappa had confiscated stents brought from Sanjo Medical to NEIGRIHMS on April 30 stating that they were sold at exorbitant rates thereby affecting the poor patients.
However, the proprietor reiterated that they were legally procured.
Besides complaints to the police and the women’s commission, the proprietor also petitioned union health secretary against the director for confiscating legally procured pacemakers.
In the complaints to police and the Meghalaya State Commission for Women, the petitioner alleged that on February 4 this year in the morning hours, Thappa misbehaved with her at the medical shop outside NEIGRIHMS and even sought commission since he had cleared her bill.
Meanwhile, the state government has asked the NEIGRIHMS director to immediately convene a meeting of the governing council of the institute to sort out the issues plaguing it for long.
The Health department directive on Friday followed a review of the developments in the institute
that have virtually paralysed the Cardiology department.
The institute is caught in a stand-off between the doctors of the department and the administration over non-supply of devices like stents and pacemakers which has halted surgeries since Wednesday.
The Secretary of the department, Pravin Bakshi, shot off a letter to the institute director saying that the goings-on in the institute are greatly inconveniencing patients.
The letter asked the director to hold the governing council meeting at the earliest.
Health and Family Welfare Minister AL Hek said that the internal problems of the institute must be sorted out and patients should not suffer at all.
He also said that he has directed the officers to write to the union Ministry about the developments in the institute.
“Since the time the new director has come, we have received many complaints and if people are not happy, we can convey to the ministry to replace him”, Hek said.
Meanwhile, even on Friday the Cardiology department remained non-functional as six surgeries which were posted could not be conducted since the devices were not available.
