Shillong Dec 3: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma laid the base for the construction of the Integrated Development Complex at Ladthadlaboh, Jowai, West Jaintia Hills, on Saturday.
During his address the Chief Minister said that the integrated development complex will bring Government services under one roof making the overall service delivery simpler, easier and more efficient.
“This is a new concept which we strongly feel is important for us to bring reforms in administration and to make the overall public service delivery a much simpler and easier process,” Sangma said.
He added that many of the government offices were functioning from rented buildings even in major towns and headquarters and the Integrated Development Complex can provide the office space to all the different Government departments in the District.
“It will not only save space but more importantly it will allow for Government services to be given from one location. The concept of DC offices, block offices or different departmental offices had come up a long time back but times have changed. We strongly feel that these are the reforms that we require to move forward as a State”, he added.
Sangma also informed that apart from speedy service delivery the government with the help of technology is working to make the interface for availing Government services more accessible to the people.
He further informed that the foundation stone for the Integrated Development Complex will be laid in Tura in the coming days and hoped that the infrastructure upgradation in different headquarters and subdivisions in the future will have a bearing on the overall improvement in delivery of services to the people.
The Integrated Development Complex at Jowai is being constructed at an estimated amount of Rs.19.8 crore.
The proposed departments and offices to be accommodated in the complex are the Deputy Commissioners Office with its different axillaries branches like Election Branch, Supply Branch, Revenue Branch, Planning Branch, Basin Development, etc and Social Welfare, District Child Protection Office, Sports Department, Treasury Branch, Excise Department, IPR Office, Tourism, Border Area, Mining Department etc and other Government Offices which are still operating from rented spaces.
MCH Hospital
The Chief Minister along with the other dignitaries also unveiled the inauguration plaque of the 100-bedded Maternal and Child Health Hospital located at Panaliar, Jowai, at the same function today.
During his speech the Chief Minister said that one of the top priorities of the Government is to provide better medical healthcare facilities to the people.
Sangma said that in the last two years the Covid pandemic brought out much of the shortcomings in the State’s healthcare sector. He added that the Government has made a concerted effort to upscale infrastructure and strengthen healthcare facilities in the state.
“During the pandemic we saw unprecedented challenges that came in front of us especially in terms of our healthcare infrastructure. It was during those times that many shortcomings, many areas where we need to invest, and the overall infrastructure in the health sector came to light. Those challenges also presented an opportunity for us to improve the overall health sector as much as we couldâ€, he said.
Informing the people about the different initiatives under the health sector the Chief Minister said that the government has renovated and added additional capacity at 80 health facilities over the last one year and close to 1,000 beds have been added to the infrastructure capacity of the state.
Furthermore, he said that almost 200 health facilities have been enabled with solar power and energy efficient equipment and added that the Government will be spending more than Rs. 250 crore, to further the medical infrastructure in the state. As such Rs. 150 crores have been earmarked for construction of 300 Sub-Centres in the state, Rs. 12.5 crores have been earmarked for setting up of 10 Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHLs) and two Critical Care Blocks will be set up in the state at a total cost of Rs. 47.5 crore which will add 100 more beds with modern facilities and advanced surgery capabilities, the Chief Minister informed.
Sangma also added Meghalaya is probably the fourth highest spender in the country in terms of the percentage of GDP that is spent on the health sector.
During his speech the Chief Minister also informed the gathering that the state has come up with a recruitment board to address the challenges of overall recruitment of trained personnel especially doctors and specialists.
“We have overall challenges in terms of recruitment especially in the health sector and that is why to overcome those challenges we have also come out with a separate recruitment board for doctors and specialists. And within the next few months, we expect that through this medical recruitment board, all the positions for doctors and specialists will be filled up at the earliest. Health has been an area, which is of great importance to our state and the government of Meghalaya has responded appropriately in order to meet those challengesâ€, he said.
