NEW DELHI, March 19 — The Department for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) is exploring several options including handing over the B Baruah Cancer Hospital to private sector, even as Minister incharge, Dr CP Thakur, advocated special incentives to attract medical experts to the region.
Returning from his maiden tour of the North-East, the Minister has redrawn his list of ‘things to do’ updating it with the feedback he received in the three States of Mizoram, Meghalaya and Assam.
However, the Health Minister in him seems to have taken precedence as he broadly outlined his plans to organise the Shillong-based North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science (NEIGRIMS) in the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
For starters, orders have been issued to bring the salary of the Director of NEIGRIMS at par with Director of AIIMS. Not good enough, feels the Minister as he spells out his plans to propose sanction of additional incentives to woo experts and professionals to the region. Dr Thakur, himself a doctor of repute who left behind a flourishing practice in Patna to join politics, said that he plans to turn NEIGRIMS into a super speciality hospital and would like to have tie-up with Delhi-based AIIMS to have top doctors and visiting professors tour the region.
The need for additional incentives, the Minister said was felt because top notch professionals were unwilling to go to the region to serve. The result, the Director of the NEIGRIMS appointed by the Government has kept away from the Institute and has not even joined her post. The nursing college will start this year and Government of Meghalaya is ready to provide all facilities. Nurses from all over the region can work there and it will give a moral boost to youths, he opined.
The Government of India should give more incentives to work in North East, where all medical institutions have shortage of trained personnel, he asserted. About the B Baruah Cancer Hospital, the Minister hinted at the possibility of waiving off Assam Government’s share of 10 per cent. The State Government because of its resources crunch has not been able to give its share. It has in the last three years not been able to appoint a full-time director, the Minister said.
The immediate priority, the Minister said is to decide who will step in fill the gap after Bhaba Atomic Research withdraws after March. The BARC has expressed its intention to quit from the Cancer Hospital after its terms expires. The Minister divulged that several options were under consideration including a proposal to have it over a reputed private institute like Shankardev Netralaya. “We are also toying with the idea of having a tie-up with Tata Memorial Cancer Institute of Mumbai,” the Minister said.
About his tour, Dr Thakur said his Ministry has taken note of the issues raised in the three States and that they would taken up with the respective Central Ministries. For instance, the issue of bamboo flowering raised by Mizoram would be taken up and effort would be made to have more funds channelised to the State. The Minister asserted that the process of monitoring has been strengthened with each of the ministries including the Prime Minister’s Office separately keeping a tab on utilisation of funds and implementation of projects.