NAHARLAGUN, Feb 15: The general hospital (GH) in East Siang HQ Pasighat and the community health centre (CHC) in Rupa in West Kameng district have been conferred with the State Kayakalp Awards for being the best among the district hospitals and CHCs in the state.
The Kayakalp Award is an initiative to promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection-control practices in public healthcare facilities, as well as to incentivize and recognize public healthcare facilities that show exemplary performance in adhering to standard protocols of cleanliness and infection control.
Under the initiative, the winning district/general hospitals receive Rs 50 lakhs each, while the CHCs receive Rs 15 lakhs each.
The CHCs of Ruksin (East Siang), Kimin (Papum Pare) and Deomali (Tirap) received commendation certificates and Rs 1 lakh each.
The commendation certificates and incentives were given away by Family Welfare Director Dr A Yirang in the presence of officials of the National Health Mission and the family welfare directorate during a function held here on Friday.
Congratulating the award-winning healthcare facilities, Dr Yirang suggested that the awards be given during the Statehood Day celebration “in order to give it wider publicity.”
He commended the Deomali CHC for introducing a dress code for its staff, and said the idea would be followed by others too.
Dr Yirang also acknowledged the various shortcomings in maintaining cleanliness in healthcare facilities.
“Despite the shortcomings, some officers have been able to manage and keep their facilities clean and hygienic,” he said.
He opined that the funds allotted for maintenance of the healthcare facilities should be sufficient to keep the facilities clean and hygienic.
Joint Health Services (Family Welfare) Director Dr S Bhattacharjee advised all other district hospitals, CHCs and PHCs to keep their respective healthcare facilities clean and hygienic.
Pasighat GH’s Chief Medical Superintendent, Dr D Raina, said the award would inspire the hospital’s staff to work even better. Dr Raina, who received the award on behalf of the hospital, expressed hope that there would be more competition for the awards next year.
HMIS nodal officer Dr A Perme expressed displeasure that there has been no improvement in service delivery at the healthcare facilities.
“The healthcare facilities would record more patients, including institutional deliveries, if the hospitals are kept clean,” she said, and urged all the medical officers-in-charge to take corrective measures to improve the number of institutional deliveries.
Dr SP Thungon, who received the award on behalf of the Rupa CHC, said the CHC has made significant improvement in cleanliness after the introduction of the Kayakalp Award.
Dr Shankar Roy Smosg, who received the award on behalf of the Deomali CHC, informed that the sanitation facility in the CHC “was in a mess when it was handed over a few years ago by an NGO.”
He said the award would go a long way in boosting the morale of the workers “to go beyond the Kayakalp Award.”
Dr Kadum Jonnom received the award on behalf of the Ruksin CHC, and Dr Kuru Genda received it on behalf of the Kimin CHC.
