SILIGURI,: Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay’s dream healthcare project
‘Garib Jan Kalyan Prakosta’ has benefitted more than 1200 patients whose free surgeries
for various ailments were done in Siliguri.
Patients
travelling all away from Sikkim to Siliguri hospitals for the operation of
stone in gallbladder and kidney now do not have to pay a single penny as the Prakosta
bears the cost of surgery besides accommodation for attendant and also
medicines.
From
Monday onwards the service for kidney stone patients was also started with the
patients brought to Siliguri in two special SNT buses. A total of 32 patients
were in the buses – ten suffering from kidney stones and remaining 22 suffering
from gallbladder stones.
Manoj Lama,
chief coordinator of Prakosta, said, “The project led by the Chief Minister’s
son Prabhakar Golay has left no stone unturned to serve the poor and needy
people of Sikkim. It was started by the Chief Minister after a review meeting
at Mintokgang with the Medical Assistance Scheme team of his office.”
During the
meeting, the Chief Minister had emphasized the importance of intensifying
efforts to support those in urgent need of medical care.
It was
decided to conduct monthly medical camps for stone surgeries at CRH Manipal
Tadong, Kins Hospital Siliguri, and Neotia Getwel Multispeciality Hospital
Siliguri, with the goal of treating approximately 40 patients per month.
Additionally,
plans were made to increase the number of medical caretakers in each
constituency to improve public access to healthcare services.
Bal Bahadur
Subba, a patient of kidney stone (renal calculus) from Geyzing, was also among the
patients in the SNT bus. He thanked the government of Sikkim, especially the
Chief Minister, for the facility with zero cost.
He said,
“Chief Minister Golay is the first Chief Minister who started this health
scheme where patients can get the health benefits including surgery free of
cost. I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart.”
Similarly
another patient Renu Lepcha from West Sikkim was diagnosed with stones in her
gallbladder. She thanked the Chief Minister and the entire Prakosta team for
providing the free surgery facility.
Prakosta’s
plan advisor Dipesh Bhandari, Prakosta’s CMO office coordinator Deepak Gautam
and Sanam Giri were present in Siliguri to coordinate the patients and their
attendants.
