Shillong, June 27: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday said the government would meet members of the Meghalaya Medical Services Association (MMSA) after the latter decided to stage a 24-hour cease work as a mark of protest against the government’s inaction against the IIPH authority.
“We will talk to them (MMSA) and resolve the matter in the larger interest of public service,” Conrad told reporters, adding that he had already spoken to Health Minister James K Sangma to resolve the matter at the earliest.
Doctors under the banner of the MMSA have decided to cease work for 24 hours on Tuesday after the government failed to set up an inquiry and take appropriate action against the Registrar and Director of Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) for falsely portraying the Director of Health Services (MI) Dr Aman War in poor light in the media. The decision was taken during a meeting on Monday.
“As there is no immediate response from the government the state executive committee of MMSA, in an emergent meeting held this morning, has decided to go ahead with the first phase of the agitation ie 24 hours cease work with effect from 9 am of June 28 to 9 am of June 29,” MMSA general secretary Dr R Pohsnem said in a letter to the secretary in-charge Health and Family Welfare informing about the decision taken by the association.
The association had also expressed shock at the alleged decision of the Principal Secretary in-charge Health and Family Welfare, Sampath Kumar, to take sides with the IIPH instead of hearing the DHS (MI) side of the story.
MMSA had also written to the health minister on June 1, expressing shock over the way the DHS (MI), who is the controlling officer of the Public Health Institutions, was treated based on a private institute’s allegations.
IIPH had alleged that its establishment was it was forced to leave its establishment in the NIFT building at Pasteur Hills in Lawmali. However, War had clarified that the incident was related to alleged abuse of two lady officers of the Meghalaya AIDS Control Society.
“This is demotivating and demoralizing for all medical doctors which in the long run will affect the smooth delivery of health care services in the state,” the MMSA wrote.
