Parliamentary panel raises acute staffing crisis, delayed infra projects
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 20: Despite nearly full utilisation of its allotted funds, the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong, continues to struggle with acute staffing shortages and delayed infrastructure projects, prompting a Parliamentary panel to raise concerns about governance and execution rather than finances alone.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, in its 170th Report laid recently, warned that unless long-standing gaps in manpower, planning, and project implementation are addressed, the institute’s mandate as the apex healthcare institution in the Northeast could be seriously undermined.
While examining the government’s action taken on recommendations made in its earlier 163rd Report on Demands for Grants for 2025-26, the Committee noted “significant variations” between budget estimates and revised estimates in 2023-24 and 2024-25, attributing these to weak financial planning and execution. At the same time, it recorded a near-complete utilisation of funds in FY 2024-25, with NEIGRIHMS spending Rs 473.61 crore out of a revised estimate of Rs 475 crore.
The panel cautioned that high utilisation figures should not mask systemic deficiencies, stressing the need for robust planning and continuous monitoring to ensure resources translate into tangible outcomes.
Staffing emerged as a critical concern, with vacancies declining only marginally from 401 to 388. Acute shortages persist in key areas, including 62 faculty posts and 55 senior resident positions—gaps the Committee said were likely affecting academic standards, patient care, and day-to-day hospital operations.
Calling for urgent corrective measures, the Committee urged time-bound recruitment drives, especially to fill posts reserved for SC, ST, and OBC candidates. It recommended wider outreach, relaxation of eligibility norms where feasible, and collaboration with other medical institutions to address long-pending vacancies.
Infrastructure delays further underscored execution failures. The Critical Care Block project, a key facility upgrade, had achieved only 47.5% physical progress and 42.25% financial progress as of April 21. Terming the slow pace a “matter of concern,” the Committee pressed for removal of bottlenecks and faster completion.
Although a High-Powered Committee is overseeing the project, the panel suggested setting up a dedicated project management unit within NEIGRIHMS to track milestones, ensure accountability, and conduct quarterly progress reviews.
The Committee also pushed for early implementation of proposed hospital management system re-engineering, stating that administrative reforms were essential to improve efficiency and patient care outcomes.
Emphasising NEIGRIHMS’s strategic role in strengthening healthcare delivery across the Northeast, the Committee underlined that sustained improvement would depend not merely on spending funds, but on clearer planning, faster execution, and stronger internal systems.
