New hospital facilities at District Hospital Dimapur, stricter drug enforcement planned— Health minister Paiwang

DIMAPUR — Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister P Paiwang Konyak began a state-wide assessment of health infrastructure, mandated by the central ministry, with a visit to District Hospital Dimapur on Tuesday. This inspection, the first in the state-wide review, led to immediate announcements of plans for new hospital facilities and stricter enforcement against illegal drug sales.

Following the inspection, minister Konyak addressed the media, stating that the visit aimed to check whether infrastructure development projects have been completed, and whether the completed structures have been handed over to the department, and also to assess the need for new infrastructure. He announced plans to construct a patient lounge, a canteen, and staff quarters for fourth-grade employees, noting that “there are no space constraints within the hospital premises for these projects.”

Addressing the shortage of workforce, particularly doctors, Konyak stated that efforts would focus on “equipping district headquarters with the best specialists and ensuring adequate staffing in district hospitals.” He urged district health and administrative authorities to hold regular meetings to ensure adequate equipment and address land encroachment issues. He also noted that funds allocated to the hospital were being used judiciously and that the government had taken note of the Non-Practicing Allowance Calculations (NPA) issue, expressing hope that “most of the doctors were following the government decision.”

The minister further emphasised that “instead of the doctors going from the district hospital and serving in the private hospitals, now it should be other way around with private doctors coming to the district hospitals to serve the government hospitals.”

The department’s assessment also includes food safety measures, focusing on ensuring that market products are free from harmful chemicals. While the exercise is still ongoing, the findings will be submitted to the government and the Cabinet will take the final decision.

In this connection, he highlighted concerns about imported food items negatively impacting local entrepreneurs due to their visual appeal and lower prices. He stated that products lacking expiry and manufacturing dates or with foreign-language labels “will be identified, collected, and reported to the government for appropriate action.”

Strict action will also be taken against the sale of illegal drugs, and pharmacy licenses will be checked for validity, he asserted.

The minister stated that, in accordance with ICMR regulations, strict action will be taken against the sale of illegal or banned drugs. All pharmacy licenses would be reviewed, and only licensed pharmacists would be permitted to manage pharmacies.

Regarding an incomplete project under the Special Plan Assistant (SPA) from the previous UPA government, Konyak stated that the department would oversee its completion with state government assistance. He expressed satisfaction with the recently completed security fencing and new morgue at the hospital, stating that only equipment installation remains before the old morgue is demolished. He also assured that requests made by the hospital’s Medical Superintendent would be addressed.

This assessment will be conducted in phases, beginning with Dimapur district, followed by Mokokchung, Longleng, Tuensang, and Mon in phase one. The process will continue in phases two and three until all districts are covered.

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