HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Oct 5: The Jorhat district unit of AJYCP and KMSS on Saturday staged a massive protest in front of the administrative building of the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) against the proposed manifold increase of six types of services out of the total 536 services provided by the medical institute.
The protesters shouted slogans against the JMCH authorities seeking immediate withdrawal of the decision of the proposed hike in the user charges of the six services as they said that huge hike in the user charges would severely hit hard the poor and also the common people who were already facing lot of difficulties to meet their ends due to soaring prices of essential commodities.
JMCH authorities on Friday had announced proposed hike in user rates of six services provided by the institute which would come into effect after Durga Puja celebrations following Government approval. The date on which the hike in the rates of the services would be implemented was not yet decided.
The authorities had announced that as per the State Government’s directive asking the medical colleges to take steps to become self-sustaining, the Executive Council of the Society for Medical Education, JMCH under the chairmanship of Jorhat MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami, who is the Chairman of the Government constituted said body, in a meeting held on September 21 last, had proposed hike in the rates of only six of the total 536 services.
The proposed hike of the user charges are: Bed charge (General Ward), from present Rs 10 to Rs 50, registration charge from Rs 10 to 20, Caesarean Section (Paying Cabin) from Rs 1800 to Rs 3000, Normal delivery (Paying Cabin) from Rs 600 to 1000, Laparoscopic surgery (General Ward) from Rs 3000 to 5000, Routine Open Surgery (General Ward) from Rs 600 to Rs 3000 and Major Open Surgery (General Ward) Rs 600 to 6000.
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When contacted, the JMCH Superintendent Dr Manab Jyoti Gohain said that the decision to hike the rates of six services was taken at the meeting of the Executive Council in accordance with the Government direction,and the proposal has been sent to the Government for approval
He said that it is only after the Government gives it nod the proposed hike of the rates would be applicable.
Sources said that MLAs of Dergaon, Mariani, Teok, Kaziranga MP KP Tasa, former Jorhat MP Topon Gogoi, are members of the Executive Council with the JMCH Principal (Dr) Professor Ratna Kanta Talukdar as Member-Secretary and the Superintendent Dr Gohain as a member.
