SHILLONG, Oct 28: The High Court of Meghalaya has issued notices to the state government and the Centre to respond to a series of lapses in the Health department and the plea for an inquiry into the delay in the completion of the Cancer Treatment Centre at Civil Hospital, Shillong.
Lurshaprang Shongwan, an advocate, had filed a PIL on October 21 urging the court to direct the authorities to utilise Rs 19.84 crore received by the state government out of the Rs 26.16 crore sanctioned by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
The lawyer also urged the court to direct the state to establish oncology departments in various district hospitals for ensuring the treatment of cancer patients and improving the quality of cancer care in the hospitals; to strengthen the Community Health Centres (CHCs) and the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in early diagnosis and screening according to the Operational Guidelines of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke.
Further, he prayed for a directive to the state for establishing tertiary cancer care in various districts and appointing specialists in the oncology departments of the respondent hospitals providing cancer treatment.
The petitioner contended that there is an arbitrary and inordinate delay on the part of the respondents in establishing a comprehensive and modern cancer care facility in Meghalaya even after it attained 49 years of statehood.
He also contended that the non-availability of a comprehensive cancer hospital and the respondents’ failure to strengthen and establish screening centres for early detection and treatment of cancer in the CHCs and the PHCs caused serious inconveniences and financial problems to the citizens of the state.
The petitioner was aggrieved that although the state received Rs 19.84 crore, the authorities furnished the utilisation certificates of only Rs 9.77 crore to the Centre. He submitted that the state government failed to fix responsibility and take action against those responsible for not utilising the amount received from the DAE.
The petitioner drew the court’s attention to the Megha Health Insurance Scheme in Meghalaya and stated that although it provides financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to all citizens, the non-availability of a cancer hospital and medicines in the state has left the scheme redundant.
He brought on record that negligence and shortage of specialists at the Civil Hospital, Shillong forces the cancer patients to wait for radiotherapy treatment for months.
After hearing the petitioner, the court said the issues raised in the PIL were serious in nature.
“We are of the opinion that the respondents must respond to the same. We, accordingly, issue notice to the respondents. Notice is made returnable after four weeks,” the order of the division bench said.
The matter has been listed for hearing on November 29.