Shillong, May 3: The state government has asked the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) to convene the general council to address the various problems and shortcoming of the institute.

In a letter to the director of NEIGRIHMS, Secretary of Health & Family Welfare department Pravin Bakshi said, “…it is the opinion of the health minister that the governing council of NEIGRIHMS may be convened at the earliest so that all contentious matter could be discussed therein and decision arrived at.”

“As such, you are hereby advised that necessary steps may be taken with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India to hold the above meeting, immediately,” he said.

The secretary also suggested that an urgent report on the current matter may be shared with the health department “as our patients’ lives are at stake and health is a state subject too.”

According to him, the institute in the recent time has been in the news for all wrong reasons which has caused considerable harassment and difficulties to the patients who have gone there for treatment not only from the state but also from across the North East.

In a statement, the NEIGRIHMS had alleged that the HoD Cardiology has not been co-operating with the administration with regard to make treatment of poor Cardiology patients affordable as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Government of India regulations

It has also mentioned that two complaints from PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare forwarded to NEIGRIHMS, sometime before regarding high price Cardiology patients have to pay to get treatment in NEIGRIHMS due to high cost price of stents, which the patients purchase from some local vendors.

A committee was formed by Director, NEIGRIHMS to get the requirements from various departments so that the stents/pacemakers costly drugs and disposable could be made available through revolving fund or Amrit pharmacy.

“But due to lack of co-operation from the HoD Cardiology, the list could not be finalised,” alleged the PRO.

It was also alleged that “The vendor in connivance with the HoD Cardiology, used to get stents in the morning to the Cath Lab and sell to patients on the advice of cardiologists on the day of the procedure at a very high cost, despite the capping of rates by the Ministry.”