Our Correspondent
KOHIMA OCTOBER 21
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, P Longon today called for quality healthcare delivery system while admitting that the State is far from satisfactory in health sector.
‘Hospitals, being among the most complex organisations in today’s world, it requires an excellent system of coordination to tackle the increasing complexity which is a great challenge’, said Longon.
He maintained that every doctor should reach a level of competence that is considered minimum as laid down by the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, and not forgetting the ‘Hippocratic Oath’ to avoid professional misconduct and maintain the dignity of the profession.
Speaking as the chief guest at the golden jubilee celebration of the Nagaland Medical Students’ Association at ATI Complex Kohima, Longon said, ‘Nagas who opted for medicines are a different breed of people altogether.’ He appreciated the Naga medicos for their perseverance in laying the foundation for generations to come.
He also raised his concern and dissatisfaction on the quality of healthcare delivery system in the State despite having a State Referral Hospital, 10 district hospitals, 1 State health food laboratory, 2 TB hospitals, 1 Mental hospital, 1 Para medical training centre, 4 Schools of nursing, 1 Ayush hospital, 21 Community health centres, 124 Primary health centres, 3 Dispensaries and 398 Sub health centres in the State.
He said, it is expected that every upcoming doctors should take one’s assignment as a challenge and serve the people of the State irrespective of their posting place and facilities available, adding that if one is willing to worship one’s work and serve the people wholeheartedly, one will find the joy of serving the people with few instruments in hand, even in the remotest part of the State.
He also appealed to the Naga medicos to seriously introspect and render quality care to the people, and also requested the medical officers and students to help the government in streamlining the department and not indulge in private practice while under employment in the government service.
While assuring the medical students of the government and Department of Health & Family Welfare trying every possible ways to make the medical college at Kohima a reality inspite of many hurdles, he asserted that the state government requires full support and cooperation from all to avoid any misunderstanding and controversy.
Emphasizing on the need to start the first academic session by 2016-17 which would be a great landmark for the State and which will also reduce the efflux of patients outside the State for treatments and thereby elevating the State financial conditions too. To achieve this, Longon said the government, officers and student leaders must ensure to extend all coordination and support towards this goal.
He also made an appeal to aspiring doctors to strive for knowledge and skills during their study period so that people of the State get maximum benefits from them. ‘Medical study is not easy; it requires burning of midnight oil. Only if you struggle enough, reward will come to you’ advised Longon. Longon also released the association biennal magazine ‘ARUBAH’.
Guest of honour, Dr Neiphi Kire, Retd Principal Director, H&FW, ex-president, NMSA speaking at the programme said, it is very unfortunate that the state could not have a medical college even after celebrating 50 years of statehood.
To achieve this, Kire called upon the students to strengthen the hands of the government and extend cooperation, ‘so that one day our dream of medical college will be tranlasted into reality that is where our future lies’ and proper quality healthcare delivery can be given to the people especially those living in rural areas.
Stating that the student community’s voice is a strong force to reckon with, Kire said, it should be used to foster understanding and bring positive changes in the society and the department, wherein individual’s interest should not interefere or be a deterrent factor from achieving common goals.
Also underscoring the wide scope of medical tourism in the State, an excellent opportunity to showcase the talents and skills of the Nagas to the world, Dr Neiphi advised the students to be sincere in their pursuits and to aspire to go for post graduate, specialisation and super specialisation. He hoped that tomorrow people will bring patients to Nagaland citing favorable climate condition and hospitality of the people. Citing acute shortage of specialised doctors in the State, M Patton, Commissioner & Secretary, H&FW underscored on the need for the medical students to take up specialized and super-specialized courses keeping in mind the challenges and the goals to achieve.
He also urged the medical students to meet the challenges of the advance technology in the medical healthcare delivery system, stating that the world is quiet ahead in medical health.
Patton also said, it is upon the young aspiring doctors to fulfill the hope of the people of the State, who look upon them as an asset of the society and hoped they can deliver something worth to the people of the State. He advised them not to fail the society, but move ahead keeping in mind the challenges and their goals.
Also addressing the students, Principal Director, H&FW, Dr Nandira Changkija said, “today we are standing in the era of everything quality” and maintained that especially in medical profession, apart from the basic comforts, one must utilize the opportunity to practice and give it back to the people who deserve more.
She also asked the medical students how convince they are in choosing the medical profession and what they can deliver, if they have chosen or they are chosen randomly to be where they are. She went on to state that whatever profession a person finds himself, she said, it is predestined and once we find our foothold we must enjoy taking the moment so that we will learn much more. Nandira also advised the medical students to be disciplined and move forward. Also in his short speech, Dr Kedozeto Punyu, President Nagaland Inservice Doctors Association (NIDA) said though there are many challenges and issues confronting the medical fraternity, together we can move forward and achieve the goal. He also called upon the medical fraternity not to forget its medical ethics and its practices – ‘a commitment to serve mankind’, which he said is a God’s given profession. A special number was presented by Ao Baptist Church, Kohima and an instrumental by Bokato Kiho, winner of Naga’s Got Talent, Season 1.
Earlier, the programme started with invocation offered by Rev TW Yamyap, Finance Secretary NBCC, vote of thanks by Dr Kuotho T Nyuwi and closing prayer pronounced by Rev Zhabu Terhuja.
During the second session, topics on ‘Diabetes Mellitus’, ‘Dental Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery’ and ‘Gynaec laparoscopic surgery using vasopressin’ were presented by Dr Kejavisa Savino, Dr Pfukrolo Koza and Dr Kezevito Keditsu.
