The news that a premier medical institution meant to be of the standard of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), once acknowledged as a centre of excellence is now reduced to a state where its resident doctors have to buy water in tankers from private water vendors actually reflects poorly on Meghalaya the host state. It appears that the bore wells that once provided water have gone dry. The reasons for that are not far to seek. Denuded forests and unregulated drilling of bore-wells by private individuals will soon have a devastating effect on Meghalaya’s aquifers. But other than the dwindling water supply, there are other issues plaguing NEIGRIHMS, such as the stagnation of tenure of doctors, prompting quite a good number of them to leave for greener pastures. The establishment of another AIIMS level hospital in Assam has meant the opening up of opportunities for many of the specialists and super-specialists. This is certainly not good news for NEIGRIHMS.
This premier health Institution has suffered from having directors with no vision and leadership qualities in the past. During their tenures the Institution was brought to its nadir. In a Healthcare Institution with research as a priority sector the Director is responsible not just for medical supervision and overall regulation of all medical facets that may affect the institutional healthcare system but also to drive research. Hence professionalism in healthcare facilities is a minimal requirement with no scope for compromises considering that healthcare is a matter of life or death. The Director cannot be burdened with the task of supervising the lower-level staff. This is the task of the administration. But with an engineer appointed as administrator the focus has been on construction work rather than managing human resources.
The Director of a Medical Institution is expected to nurture values such as respect, fairness, integrity, responsibility, mindfulness, and professionalism. These values have been eroded with the appointment of directors that have no understanding of the local cultural values. Some have instead imposed a cultural baggage they have brought with them from their previous positions. Hence it was that during the tenure of a particular director, any form of non-vegetarian cuisine was banned from the canteen menu. This matter was taken up by no less than a public representative of Meghalaya. With the appointment of Dr Nalin Mehta in September 2021, things have improved significantly but righting the wrongs of the past takes time and effort. However, considering that Meghalaya is the state where NEIGRIHMS is located, it is incumbent upon the State Government to be more proactive in providing the bare essentials to this premier Institution, water being one.