Govt needs to increase doctor, nurse posts: Ampareen

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 17, 2024

Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Tuesday asserted the need to increase sanctioned posts of doctors and nurses in the state.

Speaking to reporters, Lyngdoh said, “We are constantly having discussion with the chief minister and also the finance and planning departments to ensure we increase all of these sanctioned posts.”

“(This is because) the system and is demanding more but sanction is not there,” she explained while adding “The sanction of doctor posts were not changed for many decades since 1972. The number of nurses in 1972, sanctioned posts were just that much whereas today our facilities have increased and now we have uptp sub-centre level.”

The minister said that the state is faced with the problem of shortage of specialist doctors more than medical officers

“So specialists again when they go for specialisation course, they have to share a bond with the state that is offering the specialisation. There are all these problems that are there, we need to try and figure out what to do next and how and what do we bargain with the government of India,” she added.

Further, the minister also emphasized the need to ensure all bonded doctors return and serve in the state.

“…it should be mandatory that all students, who avail a medical seat from the quota of Meghalaya returned back to the state of Meghalaya,” she said while adding “We need to figure this out. We need to sit with government of India, we need to sit with various states where our students are going.”

According to her, Meghalaya is getting 95-96 medical seats.

“Numbers of applications have gone up. Many of the citizens of Meghalaya have done very well in the NEET exam. So there is going to be very stiff competition,” she said.

On the state yet to have its own medical college, the minister said, “This is something we are working at the same time. 

We are at that stage where there is a high probability of the first batch of MBBS will commence in 2025.” 

“We are hopeful about that, we are doing everything the right way but in the meanwhile, we need these seats and we need to depend on the other states to give us the quota,” she added.