Lack of Specialist Doctors: Activists protest at Lakhimpur Medical College Hospital

Dibrugarh: Demanding better medical facilities and specialist doctors, activists from the Asomiya Yuva Manch (AYM) staged a protest on Saturday in front of Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital (LMCH). The protesters carried banners and shouted slogans against the Assam government, blaming it for failing to improve the hospital's condition and its medical infrastructure.

According to AYM General Secretary Anupam Saikia, LMCH, which opened its doors to medical aspirants, doctors and the public in 2022 lacks specialists in critical areas like neurology, cardiology, neurosurgery, urology, and nephrology. He also pointed out that the hospital does not have enough CT scan machines, forcing patients to travel long distances to Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh or Gauhati Medical College for treatment.

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Medical Dialogues in 2022 reported that Lakhimpur Medical College opened its doors with an inaugural ceremony by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Feb 15, 2022. The state government dedicated Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital to the service of the people. It was built with a cost of Rs 500.89 crore at a sprawling 168 bighas of land. It had five state-of-the-art lecture halls, an accommodation facility for 430 students, 122 interns and 66 resident doctors.

It was expected to improve healthcare access in the region, but protesters argue that the facility has failed to fulfil its promise of providing specialised healthcare services as it is struggling due to a lack of specialists, inadequate equipment, and poor infrastructure.

Last year, Medical Dialogues reported that the National Medical Commission (NMC) imposed a hefty fine of Rs 1 crore on Lakhimpur Medical College due to its severe mismanagement. It was noted that the alarming conditions at the medical college include its lack of electricity during the surgeries, insufficient staffing in many of its departments and frequent absences of both the principal and departmental heads from the medical college prompted the apex regulatory body to take action. NMC, the Apex Medical Education Regulatory Body in India announced its decision in a letter directed to the medical college principal. The Commission also warned the institute to take further action if the college failed to settle its pending dues and debts immediately.

The issue of inadequate staffing, which was a major concern in a previous case, has emerged once again as a pressing problem in the current situation. This indicates that the medical college has allegedly failed to address the concern.

Anupam Saikia, the general secretary of the AYM central committee told TOI, "The Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital lacks specialist doctors in critical fields such as neurology, cardiology, neurosurgery, urology, and nephrology. Even basic facilities like CT scan machines are insufficient. As a result, patients are often referred to other medical facilities like the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh or the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati. How can a poor patient afford to travel such long distances for healthcare? The govt's failure to equip this hospital is a betrayal of the people's trust."

Also read- NMC slaps Rs 1 crore fine on Lakhimpur Medical College Hospital over Severe Mismanagement