NEIGRIHMS shrugs in helplessness

SHILLONG, April 13: Apprehending a spike in the Covid-19 cases, people in the state are looking up to NEIGRIHMS but the premier super-specialty health institute has expressed helplessness.
Everyone in Meghalaya, including the government, looks up to NEIGRIHMS when it is about handling critical cases, including Covid, but the institute is faced with its own challenges.
NEIGRIHMS Director, Dr P Bhattacharya told The Shillong Times on Tuesday that the institute is facing a serious crisis of funds as well as manpower and it could become a major issue in treating patients. The institute has been faced with the shortage of staff ever since its establishment. Currently, it is functioning with 50% faculty.
Stating that health is a state subject and NEIGRIHMS has trained a large number of doctors in handling critical Covid cases, Bhattacharya said the state government should be the first to take a call on any Covid situation and not burden the NEIGRIHMS as it also has to take care of the non-Covid patients.
He said as the institute did not receive any Covid funds and regular funds were directed for Covid, it has not been able to save any money.
“We are worried about the institute’s financial situation. We need not less than Rs 300 crore for Covid if the situation turns like that of last year. We have already requested the authorities to grant us funds,” Bhattacharya said.
The institute is ready to provide its services but it wants the government to decide how the state should go about it since handling Covid as well as non-Covid cases would affect the institute due to paucity of funds and manpower crisis.
Bhattacharya said it is the state government’s responsibility to handle the pandemic and the NEIGRIHMS, on its part, will extend all possible assistance to the government.
He said only those cases, which require special care and are not available in the state, should come to the institute.