SHILLONG, March 26: In the wake of the High Court of Meghalaya seeking a report from the state government with regard to people being denied medical assistance during the pandemic, Health Minister James PK Sangma has said that the Meghalaya government is concerned about such cases in the state and will keep vigil to avert their recurrence.
“We are very much concerned and in sync with the thought that there are such cases,” James Sangma said on Saturday.
“We will always as a government which cares for the situation will look out for such cases which we may have missed out and resulted in death in their families. Yes, we will examine and will look into it,” the Health minister said.
The High Court had also asked the government to consider some form of package for those cases where lives may have been lost due to want of medical care during COVID following a PIL filed by Civil Society Women’s Organsiation (CSWO) president Agnes Kharshiing.
Hearing the PIL, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh directed the state government to submit the report before the court by March 31.
The PIL highlighted the death of over 800 babies and 60 pregnant women.
The state government had argued that the numbers may not be accurate so as to suggest that since all hospitals were geared only for COVID treatment, would-be mothers or mothers with infants-in-arms or neo-natals requiring urgent medical attention were turned away from government hospitals or healthcare centres.
The state had also suggested that in the wake of the initial surge of the pandemic, between the end of March and July, 2020, it was the fear of the pandemic that may have prevented most people from stepping out and seeking medical assistance where necessary. However, it had no such break-up of the account.