Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 12 August 2025
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, met Union Health Secretary Ms. Punya Salila Srivastava in New Delhi on 11th August 2025, to flag what he described as the “deplorable” state of healthcare in the Islands and to seek urgent central intervention.
During the meeting, Mr. Ray painted a grim picture of the medical scenario, citing that out of 50 sanctioned specialist posts, only six are currently filled. He pointed out the complete absence of critical specialists—including gynaecologists, cardiologists, neurologists, urologists, nephrologists, oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, paediatricians, anaesthesiologists, and orthopedists—in district hospitals and Community Health Centres (CHCs).
The MP stressed that the shortage forces pregnant women from inter-island areas to travel long distances to GB Pant Hospital in Port Blair, causing severe hardship and contributing to maternal and infant mortality. He also referred to reports of avoidable deaths and instances where patients avoided seeking treatment due to lack of qualified specialists and fear of negligence.
Mr. Ray noted that repeated representations—through letters, parliamentary interventions, and appeals to the Lt. Governor—had failed to bring tangible improvement. He urged the Ministry to consider handing over the ANIIMS (the Islands’ MBBS medical college) to AIIMS or managing it under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for better administration. He also sought the deputation of an AIIMS expert team to assess ground realities, merging of specialist posts across hospitals for better transferability, and addressing frequent shortages of basic medicines in government hospitals.
In his submission, Mr. Ray made four key demands:
– Restoration of the earlier rotation system for specialist deputations to the Islands.
– Urgent reforms in ANIIMS management through AIIMS or PPP mode.
– Dispatch of an AIIMS/expert team to evaluate and address healthcare deficiencies.
– Structural reforms in specialist postings to ensure better accessibility.
“This is a question of life and death for the people of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands,” Mr. Ray stressed, urging the Ministry to act without delay.
The Union Health Secretary assured the MP that the concerns would be taken up in consultation with the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, and appropriate steps would be initiated.
