SHILLONG, March 21: The CAG report also revealed that North Garo Hills, East Jaintia Hills and South West Khasi Hills are yet to have a District Hospitals (DHs) till December 2019 since the Health and Family Welfare department had not planned for them.
“There was an overall shortage of 536 Sub Health Centres (SHCs), 113 primary health centres (PHCs) and 8 Community Health Centres (CHCs) across 11 districts of the state, constituting a shortfall of 54, 24 and 23 percent respectively (as on March 2019, underlining the need to improve the health infrastructures in the districts and villages,” the CAG observed.
During the exit conference (July 16, 2020), the CAG report stated that the Commissioner and Secretary of Health and Family Welfare department had assured that shortage will be looked into and necessary steps to increase the number of health centres wherever required, proportionate to the population and geographical regions, would be taken up.
“The fact remains one of the important factors for shortage of DHs, CHCs, PHCs and SHCs in the State is insufficient capital expenditure by the Health and Family Welfare department. Further, the shortage of DHSs, CHCs, PHCs and SHCs was also one of the factors responsible for shortfall in achievements of targets such as antenatal care, institutional deliveries and others,” the CAG report stated.
Meanwhile, the CAG report stated that only Jowai Hospital had a blood bank while no functional blood bank was available in other District Hospitals.
“The requirement of blood bank in Shillong Civil Hospital and Tura Maternal and Child Health (MCH) hospital were met from the district blood bank at Pasteur Institute, Shillong and Tura Civil Hospital respectively which were located at a distance of about 2 km each from these hospitals,” the CAG report stated. With regards to the Tura MCH hospital, the CAG report informed that the department had planned for the setting up of Blood Storage Unit since 2014 and it has established for the same for want of man power and equipment.
The CAG report stated that the department completed the blood bank building at Nongpoh Civil Hospital at a cost of Rs 50 lakh in September, 2018 and also equipped it with machines worth Rs 64.25 lakh but did not make it functional till December 2019.
According to the CAG report, the Nongpoh Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent attributed the delay to non-sanctioning of manpower by the state government.
The reply does not appear convincing since the blood bank was sanctioned prior to 2017, the CAG report stated, adding that the Nongpoh Civil Hospital authorities should have taken all necessary steps to have a staff in place.
“Due to non-availability of functional bank during 2014-2019, Nongpoh CH referred 4244 patients, Obstetric ward (1461 patients) and Emergencry Ward (2683 patients) to other hospitals. Thus, the non-operational blood bank at the hospital had not only resulted in idle expenditure of Rs 114.25 lakh, but also put the patients in need of blood to avoidable hardship and risk, being referred to Shilong, which is about 56 km from Nongpoh,” the CAG further observed in its report.
