New Delhi, Aug 21: Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare vide his letter dated 11th August, 2025 has informed Shri R. Sachithanantham, MP (Lok Sabha) from Tamil Nadu belonging to CPI (M) that issues raised by Shri Sachithanantham regarding improvement of health care facilities in Andaman & Nicobar Islands are being examined. Shri R. Sachithanantham, MP vide his letter dated 31st July, 2025 has apprised the Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare about the impoverished state of the medical care in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Shri Sachithanantham, MP has stated in his letter that the infrastructure in the ANIIMS is insufficient to attend to the medical requirement of the patients of all types. Even the scans and available MRI are in dilapidated condition and unable to use and the patients are referred outside. CPI (M) has further told the Minister of Health & Family Welfare that there is insufficiency of medicines in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The CPI (M) MP further brought to the notice of the Minister that as there is shortage of Specialist Doctors and poor infrastructure at the ANIIMS, patients have to move to mainland either to Chennai or Kolkatta for which the common man in the islands cannot afford, it automatically results in death or to live with the illness.
The MP from Tamil Nadu further informed the Minister of Health & Family Welfare that the ANIIMS is in urgent requirement of core staff estimating 650 persons in all the departments of the hospital for the functioning of the ANIIMS on regular basis and a proposal has already been sent to the Health Ministry for approval.
The CPI (M) MP has further informed the Minister that the District Hospitals and Community Health Centres attending to the rural people are also ill-equipped to meet the day to day requirements, even it do not have the Duty Medical Officers in certain hospitals and demanded to appoint sufficient duty doctors on war footing.
The Minister was informed further by Shri R. Sachithanantham, CPI (M) MP that the supply of medicines to the hospitals is irregular and even outdated and expired and cannot be issued to patients. He further told the Minister that at present purchases are being processed through GeM tendering wherein the tendererd medicines are not supplied and ends in trouble.
Shri Sachithanantham urged upon the Minister to look into the problems of the islanders and take appropriate measures to post sufficient Specialist Doctors either through the Central Health Service Cadre or through direct recruitment and ensure supply of the medicines and install MRI Scans and other modern equipments for medical treatment and save the people. MP told the Minister that such steps will boost our image in the minds of international tourists and our own people.