The Western Zone unit of the Jaintia National Council (JNC) met with the District Medical and Health Officer of West Jaintia Hills Dr K Dhar today to seek answers to questions concerning the Health Department.
The JNC raised the matter of the Jowai Maternal and Child Health Hospital, telling the DMHO that there appears to be sufficient capacity in the rooms to add more beds.
In Jowai Civil Hospital’s post-mortem department there is only one staff member and the JNC feels that at least one assistant should be hired.
The pressure group also told the DMHO that it has received complaints of a shortage of medicines, poor electricity supply and lack of generators in primary and community health centres (PHCs and CHCs) in the district. Several hospitals do not have ambulances of their own or at least ones that are “proper”.
Meanwhile, the JNC also called on the state government to begin construction of the new building of Pdengshakap PHC as has been promised by the former Health Minister. Through an in-person inspection, it was found that the PHC’s infrastructure is in the “worst state” possible, which is a burden on staff and patients.
The JNC also called for the setting up of a nursing examination centre in Jaintia Hills so that those looking to take the nurses exams in future need not have to travel to Shillong in future.
