Shillong, May 20: The Meghalaya High Court has expressed satisfaction that the normal functioning of the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) especially in the cardiology department has been restored.

Hearing a PIL on the matter, the division bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice HS Thangkhiew in its order passed on Monday said, “In view of the submissions made, we are satisfied that timely intervention of the Court and also by the government has helped NEIGRIHMS, more particularly Cardiology Department to start functioning as usual.”

“We hope and trust that both Cardiology Department and other authorities at the helm of affairs will remain coordinated and will ensure that whatever happened in the past will not be given chance of its repetition,” the bench said.

It may be mentioned that the recent stalemate between the NEIGRIHM administration and the cardiology department has affected the patients in the past few weeks.

During the hearing, counsels for the parties informed the Court that routine surgeries including emergency surgeries have been performed.

They said medicines, equipments and devices as per requirement from available sources in addition from Amrit pharmacy are made available, therefore, normal functioning of Cardiology Department is not in any manner impeded.

Meanwhile, the bench has also directed the institute to produce the original medical record pertaining to the treatment of the 55-year-old woman, who passed away recently, in the next hearing.

The department of cardiology in its affidavits filed wherein amongst other details, treatment given to the lady who lost her life is made mention of, however, supply of medicines and other devices appears not to have been taken care of at the relevant stage during treatment to the patients.

“In view of the statement made in the affidavit by the Department of Cardiology, response of NEIGRIHMS is required,” the bench said adding “Petition shall come up for consideration regarding negligence, if any, to be ascertained vis-à-vis death of the lady.”

It has also directed the Amrit pharmacy to file their affidavit within one week.