HC directs Neigrihms authorities to start scheduled surgeries

The Meghalaya High Court Wednesday directed the authorities of the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (Neigrihms) to sort out a working formula and start scheduled heart-related surgeries from Thursday. Acting on a PIL, a division bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice M Y Mir said, "The medical superintendent shall hold a meeting with the Cardiology department and immediately work out a solution so that right from tomorrow surgeries as per schedule are carried out."

"We are persuaded to direct both the director as well as the head of the Cardiology department to work out a working formula so that patient care may not suffer," the order said, adding that the "trust deficit" has resulted in stalling of important surgeries for varied reasons. The bench also directed Meghalaya Chief Secretary P S Thangkhiew to depute the additional chief secretary to head a meeting at Neigrihms in which the Neigrihms director, Cardiology department head Dr Animesh Mishra, medical superintendent and a representative from the Union Health Ministry shall also participate and a report be submitted to the court.

In the afternoon, a meeting was also convened by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong along with the health minister which was attended by Cardiology department head Dr Mishra. The Neigrihms director had alleged that the Cardiology department head has not been co-operating with the administration with regard to making treatment of poor cardiology patients affordable as per orders of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

He said two complaints were received from the PMO regarding the high price of heart stents availed from local vendors instead of the AMRIT pharmacy at the institute. Last week, authorities at the institute had also seized various cardiology stents, worth over Rs 20 lakh, from a vendor in the premises of the hospital. The stents were allegedly sold at a higher rate than the capped rate fixed by the ministry at Rs 30,000.

The Cardiology department head, however, denied the allegations and claimed that the Amrit pharmacy had indicated at the non-availability of stents. "I am open to inquiry both internal and external. We have not violated any norms," Dr Mishra had said.

Since last week, no surgeries have been conducted by the Cardiology department. Neigrihms is the only super specialty hospital in the northeast region.

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