SAGAR CHETTRI
GANGTOK, 18 Jan: Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Health Department, Vishal Chauhan mentioned that considerable improvement has been made so far in the District Hospital, Gyalshing in West Sikkim. He further expressed that it was a continuous process and the department has been working hard to provide the best medical facilities to the people of the district. He asserted that ambiguous allegations of Sikkim Progress Youth Forum [SPYF] would have demoralise effects on doctors, nurses and other medical staffs who have been serving the people hard day and night.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary was responding to allegations and points raised by SPYF in a press conference on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Mr Chauhan mentioned that SPYF should able to point out exactly what the district hospital has been lacking. He added that the organisation members were totally uncertain and clueless so they have not been able to point out the any loophole in the hospital. “SPYF members have accepted that there is improvement in the district hospital Gyalshing and then claiming the hospital has been lacking facilities. So they should able to tell what the exactly the hospital has been lacking and their suggestion for further improvement,” he said.
Mr Chauhan mentioned that Gyalshing district hospital has witnessed lots of improvements in these couple of months. “It is a continuous process and the process to install other equipments and facilities are under process and soon the people would able to take the benefit of these facilities,” he said. He informed that a team from Regional Resource Centre for North East under the Ministry of Health had visited the district hospital in September last year and submitted its report. He added that the department had also called SPYF members to the survey but they did not turn up.
He stated that if the organisation was well interest for the improvement of health service then they should discuss and give their suggestion first for the further improvement. “We are ready to hear them but just to make allegations will demoralise our doctors, nurses and health staffs who have been working hard day and night,” he said. He added that it was the discredit to the tireless service of doctors and all health workers. He also suggested that if SPYF was really wanted to improve the health service then they can be members of RogiKalyanSamiti and to give their contributions towards the betterment of the health service.
While mention on the changes and improvement so far at District Hospital Gyalshing till 18 January, Commissioner-cum-Secretary informed that additional 5 specialists in orthopaedic, biochemist, dermatologist, anaesthetist and ENT surgeon were posted to the district hospital and now the hospital has 15 specialists. Likewise, three more general duty medical officers [GDMO] have been posted, which has increased the number of GDMO to six in the hospital.
He informed that there were only 3 dental surgeons and presently five dental surgeons have been working in the hospital and the earlier strength of the staff nurses was 12 and presently 44 staff nurses are in the hospital. He further added that all seven PHC under West District presently has 2 MO each and teams of specialist doctors from STNM Hospital have been visiting Gyalshing Hospital on specific dates every week. He added that the district hospital and PHCs under West Sikkim have received various machines and equipments and other facilities. He added that the hospital has got 39 more employees under ‘One Family One Job’ scheme and 16 Mid Level Health Provider at PHSC.
Mr Chauhan informed that the process to fill up the post of 53 specialists and 09 super-specialists were under the process of SPSC and after the appointment most of specialists will be sending to the district hospital soon. He informed that the advertisement for one radiologist doctor and 1 general surgeon especially for Gyalshing hospital has already been done and civil works for the installation of CT scan and to establish the blood bank at the district hospital was in the verge of its completion. Likewise, He mentioned that provision for dialysis service has been approved by the government for the district hospital Gyalshing and the work for Trauma Centre at the hospital was under process among other initiatives for the district hospital.