NORTH LAKHIMPUR, May 11 - �Shortage of doctors is the main reason for the poor healthcare services in Assam and the State has only three doctors against 10,000 persons.� This was observed by Dr Nomal Chandra Borah, Chairman-cum-MD, GNRC Hospitals in North Lakhimpur on Monday.
Dr Borah was in North Lakhimpur to participate in the Swasthya Yatra Initiative to facilitate �Healthy Assam� by creating awareness, diagnosis and treatment of neurological and craniological disorders to alleviate human suffering in the North Lakhimpur Civil Hospital. Speaking to the media, Dr Borah said that Guwahati-centric super special facility hospitals could not provide healthcare services to the entire population of the State and therefore this initiative, conducted in association with the Government of Assam had been started in seven districts.
Dr Borah said that 10% of the State�s health budget should be allocated for super specialist training of the doctors. He also suggested for the introduction of training of cardiology, neurology and other critical care departments in the State medical colleges in Dibrugarh and Silchar. To increase the number of the doctors, Dr Borah suggested the conversion of all district civil hospitals to medical college hospitals in the State.
The three-month-long pilot project with GNRC Hospital by the Government of Assam has so far witnessed tremendous response from the public in all the districts so far. Noting this huge response the initiative should be increased and enlarged for a longer period covering more areas of the State. It may be mentioned that the North Lakhimpur Civil Hospital has a cardiac care facility unit but the absence of a cardiologist has made it useless so far.
