Service with a smile, that is not the motto of the Meghalaya public health service but it could soon be as Health and Family Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has accepted that staff need short term soft skills training to improve their overall service towards the public.
The minister said this after a meeting with representatives of the Hynñiewtrep Youths Council (HYC) from Sohiong, who raised specific concerns with Lyngdoh.
She said that staff of primary health centres (PHCs) and community health centres (CHCs), which are towards the bottom of the health pyramid in the state, should be given the training first as they are the “front liners”.
“I think it’s important that staff should at least be kind and welcoming and be sensitive to the predicaments of citizens because they come to our centres only when they’re unwell,” Lyngdoh said. “So, they’re already under tremendous stress and we must make sure that this stress doesn’t result negatively.”
The minister also accepted an HYC suggestion for a helpline to be made accessible to the public for feedback. Another measure she said she will take forward is to strengthen the grievance cell.
Technology will also be used to improve performance and monitoring of health centres in the state, such as with the use of an online portal.
At the click of the button, Lyngdoh said she should know whether there has been a regular equipment audit, medicine stocks, etc. “We expect that this will improve alertness in the system as compared to any lethargy that might have been observed in the past. That is something we’re doing in a big way,” she added.
