AGARTALA, Nov 9 (TIWN): As usual long lectures were delivered but problems remain same. "The doctors and nurses play vital roles to deliver healthcare services to the patients in the hospital", Chief Minister Manik Sarkar Sunday said in a review meeting organized by Health and Family Welfare Department at Pragna Bhavan. Besides, the development of infrastructures, development of administration in hospitals has to be ensured equally, said Sarkar. He further said, "The doctors should handle the patients with love and care. Hygienic atmosphere, Electricity and drinking water facilities in every hospital must be ensured." However, many meetings in air-conditioned rooms like this took place in past 16 years of Manik's Chief Ministership but pathetic condition prevails in every hospital of Tripura.

Sympathetic approach should be followed while handling the patients and their relatives, he said. The state government is not running the hospitals with business like attitude, added Sarkar.

In the meeting, Sarkar directed the concerned department to form a core committee by placing the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the hospital as the convener to supervise the health services accordingly. He also directed to involve the head of the office, senior doctors, nurses, paramedical and laboratory technician and other concern persons in the committee. "Health and Family Welfare Minister Badal Chowdhury, Health Secretary M. Nagaraju, Director of Family Welfare and Preventive Medicine Department  Dr. KL Bhowmik, Mission Director of National Health Mission, Tripura Dr. Sandeep N. Mahatme, Director cum Additional Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Dr. Satya Ranjan Debbarma and many others attended the review meeting. 

However, any patient visiting govt run hospitals know the true picture of worst healthcare provided by CPIM government.  Hundreds of Malaria patients died in 2014  due to lack of treatment and care throughout Tripura. From Chief Minsiter to Health Minister, everyone rushes to New Delhi's  AIIMS whenever they fall sick, noone in Tripura people can remember if they ever saw any Tripura CPIM Minister admitted to GB Hospital for treatment. 

None of Tripura's hospitals provide clean drinking water to patients. Such pathetic situation prevails that every visiting Medical Team from Centre sends a negative report depicting lack of basic healthcare in State.

Outbreak of malaria epidemic in 2014  has once again revealed the hollowness of the state govt's claim about Heath services. Rather, it also showed that the funds allocated by the centre from time to time have not been properly utilized. In the Executive Summary of ''Report of Visit of NVBDCP Team to Tripura,22nd-27th June 2014" Addl Director of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme( NVBDCP) Dr Avadhesh Kumar categorically highlighted the negligence of Health Department in dealing with malaria epidemic.

 NVBDCP New-Delhi Report on Tripura Malaria Outbreak. TIWN Pic

       Reporting on the outbreak of Malaria, Dr Avdhesh Kumar clearly pointed," The outbreak has become extensive mainly due to a system failure from top to bottom(ASHAs to State Health Society & beyond) as evident from the following:

1) Early warning signals were missed in 2nd week of May 2014 in Dhalai District ; NVBDCP team visited 2 districts in 1st week of June 2014 and informed/advised the health authorities

2) DDT spray was delayed

3)Inadequate manpower due to unusual delay in recruitment of NVBDCP contractual staff;and

4) Poor monitoring & supervision mainly due to lack of mobility support"

      The report also showed ," Tripura is one of the seven north-eastern states where Intensified Malaria Control Project- II is being implemented since October 2010 with financial support from GFATM . The state comprises of 8 districts. ....The surveillance is very poor . Referral mechanism is also poor in all the districts.... monitoring & supervision by the state officials of the programme needs enhancement." The serious allegations that have raised in this report is ," In October 2010, under the IMPC-II  the state was provided additional contractual manpower at different levels. However, 3 state consultant out of 5; 7 District VBD consultants out of 8 and 2 MTS out of 25 ate lying vacant for more than 3 years. besides, 500 contractual MPWs were also sanctioned in 2007 but majority of the posts could not be filled....The non-recruitment of manpower vacant is hampering the functioning of programme implementation activities at State/district level, besides monitoring and supervision is almost negligible." The question is where is the sanctioned fund for the contractual MPWs lying since October 2010. Interesting only in the last week's Review Meeting of the Health Department Chief Minister Manik Sarkar asked the officials to recruit 500 MPWs. Is it a way of diverting the attention of the people from the fund allotted in 2010 for the said purpose?

       About the Recording & Reporting Mechanism,  NVBDCP reports say," The data being reported at State HQ is not informative due to following reasons . Moreover, different reporting formats have been circulated by different state health authorities (SPO, NVBDCP, State Surveillance Officer, IDSP; Chief Secretary) adding to the confusion at reporting units:

1) Incomplete & irregular reporting , all units not reporting regularly;

2) Duplication of data as data from field (camp) ,OPD and IPD is combined and reported

3) Denominator is missing in most of data set;

4) PV/Of cases not being reported separately;

5) At some health facilities, the authenticity of data could not be verified by the team due to insufficient data records."

     About the Monitoring & Supervision of Malaria epidemic , the NVBDCP reports say," The monitoring and supervision is poor at various levels of health care systems as MOI/C,  DMOs and state officials are not visiting field due to non-availibility of vehicles. MTSs are also not supervising field activities as most of them have not been provided motorbikes." The reports also show some serious negligence on the part of Health Department , Govt of Tripura especially in controlling the malaria epidemic.

Dirty, polluted water fountains at GB Hospital. TIWN Pic

Plight of health care at Tripura's topmost Govt run GB Hospital. Patients lying on hallway with saline bottles. TIWN Pic

It would be a wise and bold step if  "poor" Chief Minister decides to hold at least one review meeting on healthcare inside of GB Hospital and then delivers his occasional lectures. Also next time him or anyone in his cabinet falls sick , they should get admitted into GB Hospital for treatment rather than flying out to AIIMS New Delhi or Mumbai at taxpayers expense.