NEW DELHI, Dec 12 – Virtually ruling out the possibility of setting up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like hospital in the North Eastern Region (NER), Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr Ambumani Ramadoss asserted that the Centre has taken up a number of projects in the State to develop the health services in the Region.
Pointing out that North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) has been established in Shillong, on the lines of AIIMS and PGIMER Chandigarh to provide advanced specialised health-care to the people of the North-east. So far the Central Government has made an investment of about Rs 400 crore for development of the institute, while Rs 1266.38 crore has been allocated in the 11th Plan.
The institute is planned for 500-bed referral hospital with 35 teaching departments at post-graduate level in various specialities and super specialities. A 50-seat nursing college and undergraduate MBBS college has been functioning. A new cancer hospital is also planned at the institute.
Dr Ramadoss, who was replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha this morning during the Question Hour, however, admitted that there had been some delay in setting up the institute because of certain ‘problems’.
Listing out the projects undertaken by his Ministry in the Region, Dr Ramadoss said that Regional Institute of Medical Science, Imphal has been taken over by his Ministry from North Eastern Council (NEC), this year. The Institute has an intake capacity of 100 undergraduate and 73 post graduate. For the development of the Institute as a Centre of Excellence an amount of Rs 589.92 crore has been allocated.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also taken over the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, at Tezpur and the regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences at Aizawl from NEC.
The institutions have been allocated Rs 267.07 crore and Rs 69.62 crore in the 11th plan for overall development of the Institutes as Centre of Excellence. This fiscal Rs 31 crore has been allocated for the Mental hospital in Tezpur, of which Rs 24.50 crore has been released.
The Minister further reaffirmed Central support for up grade of the Guwahati Medical College Hospital. The up gradation of the GMCH at a total cost of Rs 119.95 crore has been cleared. In addition, Rs 10 crore has been released r up gradation of regional Institute of Ophthalmology at GMC, he added.
After up gradation of the GMCH, the Government proposes to up grade the two other medical colleges in Dibrugarh and Silchar, Dr Ramadoss added.
He further added that the Civil Hospital at Naharlagun, Itanagar is being upgraded at a cost of Rs 130 crore. The Planning Commission has agreed and Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation Limited is preparing a detailed project report.
Asserting that it was the aim of the Government to ensure that not a single patient has traveled out of the Region for treatment, he said as part of the process of strengthening all district hospitals, he said 75 district hospitals in the Region, besides community health centre are being upgraded to 30-50-bed hospitals.
Two new nursing hospitals and 14 new nursing schools have been sanctioned under the National Rural Health Mission.
Earlier, Baishya lauding the decision of the Government to set up six AIIMS-like institute all- over the country, said it was difficult to understand why was the NER was left out. He said Guwahati being the hub in the Region would be an ideal choice to locate such an institutions.
Questioning the criteria of selecting the locations for setting up AIIMS-like institute, he said while for people from rest of the six places, it was six-eight hours journey to reach Delhi, for the patients of North-east, it is a 2000 km journey. It is difficult for patients to travel such long distance, he said.
Participating in the discussion, Biswajeet Daimary said health care facilities in the Bodoland areas non-existent. Underscoring the need to set up a medical institute in Kokrajhar so as to train medical students, he demanded that the Health Ministry should introduce quota for students from Bodoland areas until such time as the Institute comes up in BTAD area.
However, when the Minister did not relent, Daimari got agitated and asked whether they have to launch another agitation to get a medical hospital. He also reminded the Minister that the Region has suffered much because of militancy and has recently come out of militancy.
Pointing out that North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) has been established in Shillong, on the lines of AIIMS and PGIMER Chandigarh to provide advanced specialised health-care to the people of the North-east. So far the Central Government has made an investment of about Rs 400 crore for development of the institute, while Rs 1266.38 crore has been allocated in the 11th Plan.
The institute is planned for 500-bed referral hospital with 35 teaching departments at post-graduate level in various specialities and super specialities. A 50-seat nursing college and undergraduate MBBS college has been functioning. A new cancer hospital is also planned at the institute.
Dr Ramadoss, who was replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha this morning during the Question Hour, however, admitted that there had been some delay in setting up the institute because of certain ‘problems’.
Listing out the projects undertaken by his Ministry in the Region, Dr Ramadoss said that Regional Institute of Medical Science, Imphal has been taken over by his Ministry from North Eastern Council (NEC), this year. The Institute has an intake capacity of 100 undergraduate and 73 post graduate. For the development of the Institute as a Centre of Excellence an amount of Rs 589.92 crore has been allocated.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also taken over the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, at Tezpur and the regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences at Aizawl from NEC.
The institutions have been allocated Rs 267.07 crore and Rs 69.62 crore in the 11th plan for overall development of the Institutes as Centre of Excellence. This fiscal Rs 31 crore has been allocated for the Mental hospital in Tezpur, of which Rs 24.50 crore has been released.
The Minister further reaffirmed Central support for up grade of the Guwahati Medical College Hospital. The up gradation of the GMCH at a total cost of Rs 119.95 crore has been cleared. In addition, Rs 10 crore has been released r up gradation of regional Institute of Ophthalmology at GMC, he added.
After up gradation of the GMCH, the Government proposes to up grade the two other medical colleges in Dibrugarh and Silchar, Dr Ramadoss added.
He further added that the Civil Hospital at Naharlagun, Itanagar is being upgraded at a cost of Rs 130 crore. The Planning Commission has agreed and Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation Limited is preparing a detailed project report.
Asserting that it was the aim of the Government to ensure that not a single patient has traveled out of the Region for treatment, he said as part of the process of strengthening all district hospitals, he said 75 district hospitals in the Region, besides community health centre are being upgraded to 30-50-bed hospitals.
Two new nursing hospitals and 14 new nursing schools have been sanctioned under the National Rural Health Mission.
Earlier, Baishya lauding the decision of the Government to set up six AIIMS-like institute all- over the country, said it was difficult to understand why was the NER was left out. He said Guwahati being the hub in the Region would be an ideal choice to locate such an institutions.
Questioning the criteria of selecting the locations for setting up AIIMS-like institute, he said while for people from rest of the six places, it was six-eight hours journey to reach Delhi, for the patients of North-east, it is a 2000 km journey. It is difficult for patients to travel such long distance, he said.
Participating in the discussion, Biswajeet Daimary said health care facilities in the Bodoland areas non-existent. Underscoring the need to set up a medical institute in Kokrajhar so as to train medical students, he demanded that the Health Ministry should introduce quota for students from Bodoland areas until such time as the Institute comes up in BTAD area.
However, when the Minister did not relent, Daimari got agitated and asked whether they have to launch another agitation to get a medical hospital. He also reminded the Minister that the Region has suffered much because of militancy and has recently come out of militancy.
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