Concerned with poor Heath Service and 22 vacant posts of medical specialists in tiny Islands of Andaman and Nicobar, the newly elected Member of Parliament of Andaman has requested the Administration to immediately fill up these posts.

A member of Parliament, A&N Islands has taken up the matter with the Lt. Governor, A&N Islands and in his letter he stated that due to non-availability of sanctioned strength of Medical Specialist with DHS, the large population of these islands are deprived of specialised medical care in the hospitals of A&N islands. He expressed that the reason behind the non-availability of Medical Specialist doctors are due to less remuneration being paid by the A&N Administration, for which the Specialist Doctors are not showing their willingness to render services in the far-flung islands since the specialist doctors are getting a higher salary in the mainland hospitals ranging from Rs 2.50 to Rs 3 lakhs per month.

“Hence, in order to have an effective curative, preventive and supportive health care delivery system for the Islanders in the District Hospitals, Community Health Centres as well in the GB Pant Govt. Hospital, the Administration must fill up all the vacant posts of Medical Specialist in the various discipline by enhancing the existing remuneration with other facilities for the benefits of the Islanders at the earliest,” the MP told media.

In 2015 when Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Specialist was established in Andaman, a huge number of Medical Specialists were appointed but over a period of time, many Medical Specialists preferred to leave Andaman.