Shillong, Jan 14: The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) has urged the government to improve the facilities in Shillong Civil Hospital, including resumption of functioning of the MRI machine.
The FKJGP, quoting hospital authorities, said the MRI machine has not been functioning since 2018 in the biggest hospital run by the state government.
A delegation of FKJGP visited the hospital following public complaints about lack of various facilities in the hospital, affecting patients especially the poor for whom the hospital is the ultimate affordable destination for critical illness.
Referring to its discussion with the medical superintendent (MS) of the hospital, FKJGP president Dundee C Khongsit said, “The hospital authority had already taken up with the government the matter of non-functioning of the MRI machine since 2018. However, till today no action has been taken to make it operational.”
“From her statement, we can imagine if such important machines are not there in a civil hospital located in the state capital, what kind of health services can we expect them to provide in rural areas,” he said.
Quoting the MS further, he said the even the pathologist was transferred to Ganesh Das hospital, and there has been no step taken to appoint a replacement in the civil hospital and that is why a pathology test could not be done there.
“The MS also cited shortage of staff behind hospital’s failure to address the daily complaints that people dropped in the complaint box,” he added.
Stating that accessibility to better health care is the right of every citizen, the FKJGP urged the state government to prioritise the health sector.
“Poor health care facilities are affecting the poor people, who totally rely on these government institutions,” he said.
