Shillong, Feb 22: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will pursue with the Centre for getting Institute of National Importance status for the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS).
In reply to a suggestion by Leader of Opposition Ronnie Lyngdoh in the Assembly on Thursday, Conrad said when JP Nadda was union health minister on a number of occasions, he had taken up the issue.
“We are hopeful that this will move in the right direction. It has to be taken up at the parliament level but we are pursuing the matter at our level,” he said.
The chief minister said since it would not be appropriate on his part to give any time frame since the matter is under the purview of the Government of India.
Earlier, Lyngdoh said getting the required recognition will prevent the shortage of doctors and exodus of doctors to other states.
He pointed out that a neurosurgeon recently shifted from NEIGRIHMS to a private hospital in Guwahati.
“If there is recognition, the doctors, paramedical staff, nurses working there will get the facilities that are accorded to AIIMS like institute but since its inception I was told that there has been no cadre review of this institute. The cadre review will give incentives to the people working in NEIGRIHMS. But cadre review was not there for many years which means pay parity is not there,” he said.
According to Lyngdoh, this is one of the reasons for the exodus of doctors from NEIGRIHMS.
