Manipur CM warns to take strict action against agitating doctors

While urging to withdraw the indefinite strike that led to the closure of government-run hospitals and health centres, Manipur chief minister, N Biren Singh had warned to take strict action against All Manipur Health Services Doctors’ Association (AMHSDA) under Essential Service Maintenance Act if they continue their agitation.

He stated this on February 27 during the ensuing 3rd session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.

Responding to the cut policy motion moved by congress MLA, K Ranjit during the demand and discussion session,  Biren said that the state government had already intimated to agitators about the impossibility of increasing the superannuation age to 65 years. 

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However, they stubbornly continue the hospital closure agitation despite the fact that their service comes under the purview of essential service. The state government will longer remain silent but rather take action upon agitating doctors under Essential Service Maintenance Act lest they call off the protest. 

The state government will take up a necessary arrangement to re-open all the government-run hospitals that remain closed due to doctors’ agitation by hiring doctors for daily wages, he added. 
Health minister, Sapam Ranjan Singh also said some of the demands made by AMHSDA are not possible to deliver however the state government had initiated delivery of those demands which consider appropriate. 

“Their demand to give time scale promotion and increase of superannuation period from 62 years to 65 years is contradictory. The process has initiated to deliver the remaining demands including implementation of Non-Practising Allowance and amendment of Manipur Health Services Rules,” he informed and further warned to withdraw their ongoing agitation at the earliest. 

Clarifying the statement of Congress MLA K Ranjit about buying a substandard chair for the Dental College of Jawaharlal Nehru of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), minister Sapam Ranjan said that equipment was procured from Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and the said item is under warranty period. 

On top of that, the Dental Council of India usually carries out inspections to ascertain the quality of equipment, teachers and others of the institute before issuing a recognition certificate. Viewing the above criteria, there is no chance of providing low-quality equipment. However, the state government will check out whether there is any foul play in buying the equipment of Dental College, he assured. 

Responding to the cut policy motion moved by Congress MLAs K Ranjit and Th Lokeshwar Singh on lack of biomedical waste management and improper disposal of waste material, Sapam Ranjan said that the state government had taken up the project for the construction of 68 affluent treatment plants. The construction work will complete by March 31 this year. Once these plants are in operational, all the biomedical waste produced in the state can be treated in a systematic way. 

Nevertheless, at present also all the bio-medical waste is also disposed of in a proper manner. Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) have their in-house incinerator. Whereas waste produced from around 57 health centres including Community Health Centre, Primary Health Centres and District Hospital is being incinerated at SHIJA Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility Centre, he added. 

He also said that for health institutions located in far-flung areas, the biomedical waste is buried in deep pits as per Biomedical Waste Management Rule 2015. 

It may be mentioned that All the government-run hospitals and health centres in Manipur have been closed from February 14 in response to the indefinite shutdown call given by the All-Manipur Health Services Doctors’ Association (AMHSDA) in protest against the state government’s failure to meet their charter of demands.

The four demands include the time bound/time scale promotion, extension of superannuation age of doctors to 65 years as administrative post, Non-Practising Allowance (NPA) as per 7th Central Pay Commission with effect from January 1, 2016, and major amendment of the outdated MHS rules 1982.