SHILLONG:
Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, on April 26, reviewed the HR status of various personnel in the Health Department to find the gaps in manpower, and how they can be made more effective, including upliftment of infrastructure.
Speaking to media persons after a health review meeting, Lyngdoh said that that there are certain areas in the department with shortages of specialist doctors, and the department has taken up certain important decisions to ensure that short term courses are conducted for doctors to make them equipped and have sufficient exposure to training so that they can gradually fill all these gaps that are there in the placement of doctors in institutions.
Lyngdoh also revealed that the state has surplus of nurses as against the number of jobs (vacancies) and the government is looking for avenues through engagements to utilise their services.
“We are looking for avenues for these nurses where you direct these trained individuals, what do they do next with their lives. The government is engaging with institutions, agencies that can help us bring gainful employment to these nurses. There are more nurses in the market than what government intake can do,” she said.
The Health Minister also pointed to opportunities for these nurses in European countries where there are huge health care professionals.
“For example, we are aware that several foreign countries require nursing that is not available in their own country, whereas if our nurses, who are already hospitable, can pick up international languages, they can have great opportunities there. We are looking at this aspect of employment as well,” she said.
She revealed that as per the national norms, the state does not have enough sanctioned posts to absorb the surplus manpower in the nursing sector.
There are 3000 plus such nurses, and we are working to ensure that a sanctioned number of such posts are already made available because every time you have to inaugurate a CHC or PHC that has already been build—there are no sanctioned posts,” she added.
The health minister also said that there has been a huge focus on funding and improvement of healthcare services in the next five years post Covid, and now the government has to ensure that once these infrastructures start seeing the light of day, they have the necessary manpower that is required.
Lyngdoh also stated that the government is looking at incentivising health facilitators like doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and other categories of workers so that they can take up work and assignments in remote areas that lack health facilities.