Nagaland requires more manpower in health services

230 specialists 300 general duty medical officers 600 general mid-wife & nurses

Commissioner and secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Menukhol John on Friday said that the state requires 230 specialists in various fields in health services sector, 300 general duty medical officers and 600 general mid-wife and nurses.

Speaking at the 19th general conference of Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA), Menukhol said that as sponsored students of the state, medical students must realize the need to give back to the people.

 “The state eagerly awaits the return of 200 plus medical students to the state for greater health delivery system” he said. He also said that they should not limit their service to urban cities but focus on the major lot who live in rural villages.

Highlighting some areas of concern in the state, Menukhol said that there has been an increase in infant mortality rate from 18 to 26 since 2010, the chief cause of the increase being diarrhea.

Maintaining that social and economic development of the state depend on health delivery system, he expressed the need for the state to shrink down on total fertility rate to below 2 from the present 2.4. He said that the total rate of MMR which stands at 240 should come down below 100.

Dwelling on population stabilization in the state, Menukhol said that unless a robust system is established to maintain healthy population stabilization figure, it would be difficult for the state to move forward economically.

He also touched upon the state government’s project to set up a medical college in Nagaland. Menukhol said that it was crucial to recruit teaching staffs for the college and encourage those medical students interested in academics to start preparing for it.

He also informed to the gathering that it was the cabinet’s decision to do away with the system of two years compulsory service to pursue PG for medical students.

Principal director of Health and Family Welfare, K. Yangerla, said that Naga students were equally competent with other students and therefore advocated that students should not depend on reservations but maintain health competitive spirit. She encouraged medical students to come back to their people and serve humanity.

Earlier, Menukhol John released the 10th volume of NMSA magazine ‘Genesis.’ The three day general conference of the NMSA will include a medical camp at Botsa Village on October 8 and other deliberations on quality health care in Nagaland.

NMSA was formed in 1965 at Assam medical College with an aim to bring Naga medicos studying all over the country to achieve higher standard of medical profession and benefit Nagas.

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