Sri Vijaya Puram, July 09: During his visit to attend the DPC meeting for North & Middle Andaman at Mayabunder, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, the Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, undertook a casual visit to Dr. RP District Hospital, Mayabunder to interact with patients and assess healthcare services. The visit revealed a deeply concerning picture of administrative negligence and poor healthcare delivery.
The Member of Parliament expressed serious anguish over the deteriorating condition of the only district hospital in North & Middle Andaman. The hospital, which is supposed to cater to the health needs of a large population, is plagued by a severe shortage of specialist doctors, essential staff, and non-functional infrastructure.
One of the most pressing issues is the absence of a full-time Medical Superintendent. The post has remained vacant, with a senior doctor from PHC Billiground given additional charge. However, the distance between the two facilities makes it unfeasible to manage both roles effectively. Moreover, there is a critical shortage of specialists, as no surgeon, physician, orthopaedist, or ENT specialist is currently posted. Only a few specialists, including a gynaecologist, paediatrician, anaesthesiologist, and dentist, along with four contractual MBBS doctors, are serving. This has resulted in frequent patient referrals to Sri Vijaya Puram or the mainland for treatment.
Infrastructure within the hospital is also lying idle. A new medical ward handed over in January 2025 remains non-functional, with over 30 beds unused. Essential equipment such as dialysis and sterilisation machines are either lying idle or rusting due to a lack of operational staff. The operation theatre is in an unsafe condition, with water leakage, falling dust from the ceiling, and cracked beams posing serious safety risks to patients. Despite this, no repairs have been undertaken.
There is also a complete lack of monitoring, as no regular inspections by senior health officials are taking place. Additionally, the hospital lacks a grievance redressal system for both patients and staff.
The MP has strongly condemned this gross negligence by the Directorate of Health Services and the District Administration. He has demanded immediate corrective measures, including the appointment of a full-time Medical Superintendent, urgent deployment of specialist doctors, operationalisation of the new medical ward, immediate repair of the operation theatre to make it fully safe and functional, filling up of all 39 long-pending vacancies either through regular or contractual appointments, and disciplinary action against officers responsible for the neglect. He has also called for the constitution of a high-level team to inspect and review all healthcare institutions in North & Middle Andaman.
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray emphasized that the people of North & Middle Andaman, as well as those in Nicobar districts, deserve access to quality healthcare like any other citizen of the country. Copies of the letter written have also been sent to the Union Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah and the Union Health Minister Mr. J.P. Nadda for their kind intervention and support in resolving this serious issue.
