Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, July 13: Jamshedpur East constituency legislator Former Jharkhand Minister, Saryu Roy visited MGM Hospital on Tuesday, a day after the Principal Secretary had inspected the Hospital and fumed at the prevailing conditions and blaming it on the management for the utter disarray and chaos prevailing there. the Principal secretary had fumed on seeing a pig at the entrance of the Hospital’s Emergency Department. Saryu Roy inspected the entire MGM Hospital complex on Tuesday and while agreeing with the observations of the Principal Secretary, he said that the hospital’s management alone was not to be blamed.
Saryu Roy stated that he had last visited the MGM Hospital one and half years ago and had expected the departmental Minister to take measures to improve conditions at the hospital. “But all he has done so far is that he has posted his representative in this hospital that neither serves the purpose of development and nor is it in accordance with practices. Health department’s Principal Secretary had come to the MGM Hospital in January and held discussions with JUSCO authorities for rejuvenation and yesterday’s visit revealed that the conditions remained as pathetic as earlier.”
The East Jamshedpur legislator said that till 1986, MGM was a sub divisional hospital. Later itr became the MGM Medical College and Hospital. The number of beds was increased to 600 but the emergency beds allotted were 15. “But the number was increased to 35 without prior approval. But due to inadequate emergency facilities, patients are made to sit on chairs or lie on benches for treatment purposes because beingh a government hospital no patient can be returned unattended,” and ridiculing the prevailing conditions in the hospital, Roy said, “MGM Hospital is the only one of its kind in the entire country where no dressers have been appointed. Any untrained person is directed to perform dressing.”
The legislator informed that on his initiative, a meeting at Chief Minister’s level was convened in January, 2019 to bolster MGM Hospital’s management. “It was decided in the meeting that one official would be posted to handle management affairs, another to keep an eye on HR and a third, a trained official who would keep track of accounting procedures. But unfortunately, nothing came of the decisions and matters remain as they were earlier,” said Saryu Roy.
Roy stated further that similarly, skilled and unskilled workers were to be appointed for the hospital that did not happen. The sanitary and security departments were under-staffed. He said that necessary medical implements were not purchased. He said, “I wanted to know about the status of the decisions taken two years ago and was informed that they had not been implemented. Even the secretary level talks in 2018 have met the same fate. The decision to fix minimum number of workers has not been done correctly. Unskilled nurses are appointed through outsourcing agencies but such appointments are not permanent. At least there should be permission for appointment of staff according to the number of vacancies.”
Taking a swipe at the Health Department Principal Secretary’s angry reaction, Saryu Roy averred, “While going around the MGM Hospital pigs and other animals may come within the visual range but they should see and find out the gaps along the hospital’s broken boundary walls that serve as passages for animals to infiltrate into the hospital compound.”
About his plans to go to Ranchi, the legislator informed, “I will meet the Health Secretary and propose that the earlier decisions taken at the highest level for streamlining the working of MGM Hospital be implemented. I will urge them to analyze the optimum manpower requirements and strengthen infrastructure. The grants being sanctioned during the COVID period should be utilized in adding to infrastructure strength and purchase of necessary implements. Specialized persons to operate the machinery and implements should be appointed. If necessary, a meeting at Chief Ministerial level should be organized to arrange funds for the purposes.”
Saryu Roy said that the key to dispel the shortcomings at the MGM Hospital lay with the state government’s secretariat. “Unless this is realized in the right perspective, just sitting in Jamshedpur can never resolve the persisting lacunas in the MGM Hospital management. The Chief Minister, Minister and Secretary should see to the implementations of the decisions that were taken earlier instead of venting their ire on the hospital management. They should look within themselves and they will find unaccountable hurdles that are put up by the secretariat to implementation of decisions. If these obstacles are removed and the decisions are implemented, positive changes in the functioning of MGM Hospital will be visible within six months,” the MLA stated.
More than 40 years public had very bad experience, pre and post formation of a separate state.
No development, corruption increased in 10folds at public cost. No serious efforts have been made to give priority on medical services to meet a common man who can not afford to meet corporate hospital charges. Lapses on government policies, systems, strict action, TMH every year is incurring worth a few crores of rupees. All failure cases are referred to TMH, no payment are made. Compelled to waive-off, public vandalism, damaging property of TMH, manhandling doctors and staff, horrible.