KSU demands Centre to set up high level inquiry into NEIGRIHMS crisis

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 13, 2019

SHILLONG: The Khasi Students Union (KSU) has demanded institution of a high level inquiry into the present crisis at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS). 

In a memorandum submitted to the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan, KSU chief Lambok Starwel Marngar said the internal conflict between the Director of the institute and the Head of the Cardiology Department, Dr Animesh Mishra has led to a standstill in the functioning of the said department. 

He said this stalemate has cause extreme inconvenience to the patients and their relatives putting the lives of the patients at risk adding that the ongoing altercation between the Director and the HoD of the Cardiology department has taken its toll this year when two precious lives were lost due to the adamant attitude of these two officials. 

“The KSU wants your office to take note of this serious tragedy and demands a high level inquiry so that deemed action can be taken against the erring officials. Moreover the Union demands compensations for the families of the two victims,” Marngar said. 

The KSU has also sought the intervention of the union health minister for immediate replacement of the incumbent director of NEIGRIHMS Dr DM Thappa. 

According to the union, a plethora of unrest befall on this reputed institution with caters to the medical requirements of the people of Meghalaya and North East India. 

Opposing the decision to merge the Department of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Departments of Neurosurgery, Urology and Surgical Oncology with General Surgery, the KSU said that such merger of Super Speciality departments with Speciality departments is uncalled for while demanding for the reconstitution of the mentioned Super Speciality departments as separate entities. 

The Union also demanded the Centre to ensure that Post Graduate Courses on General Surgery and Anaesthesiology are recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI). 

It said that the de-recognition of these courses by the MCI has left many students pursuing these courses stranded as they cannot avail placement in any of the Government run medical institutes in the country. 

The KSU further said that last year in 2018, the advertisements and interviews for faculty posts were called and held, but in a few departments result could not declared as there are major technical lapses in the Recruitment Rules at the time of advertisement. 

“This has badly affects the internal candidates and also the new faculty members could not join the institute. Furthermore the anomaly has led to a huge wastage of public money,” Marngar said. 

Meanwhile, the Union also alleged that local resident doctors studying in NEIGRIHMS are harassed whereby extension of services are not granted, quarters are denied, unacceptable integrity certificates were issued, etc. 

Due to the serious complications transpiring in NEIGRIHMS, many doctors have resigned which badly affects the institution owing to the fact that these doctors are from the Super Speciality Departments such as CTVS, Neurosurgery, Medical Oncology, etc, it said.