Mary Antoinette, the iconic but ill-fated queen of France, had once told the hungry commons to eat cake if they could not afford bread. Make a visit to the Raigunj Sadar Hospital and then listen to Central Minister Deepa Dashmunshi's and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plans for a modern super-speciality hospital at Raigunj: you will be reminded of Mary Antoinette.
The conditions at the District Hospital of Uttar Dinajpur is deteriorating rapidly. There is no cardiologist, no scanners, no ICU facility; but cats and mice have a free reign in the Emergency ward, and low birth weight babies die without basic interventions. The poorest people from all over the district come to the Raigunj Sadar Hospital for treatment, but end up living in hellish conditions. The few doctors and nurses present do whatever they can within their limited resources.
Now the whole district is resounding with Deepa Dasmunshi’s promises of Priyo-da’s (Priyaranjan Das Munshi’s) dream AIIMS in Raigunj. On the other hand, the Chief Minister proclaims that treatment at Raigunj will parallel that in Kolkata. Like the “buy one get one free” offers given by shopping malls, the Chief Minister promises not one but two super-speciality, multipurpose hospitals at Raigunj and Islampur. The promise of AIIMS has been suspended for the last 5 years, and that of super-speciality hospitals for the last 2 years. But no one is bothered about implementing certain basic measures that could significantly improve the conditions.
During its rule, the Left Front Government had worked with the central government on the issue of building an AIIMS. But the LF Government also laid great stress on the development of health infrastructure in the district as a whole – from the Primary Health Centre level to the Mahakuma level. The target of the LF was the reduction of patient load at the higher centres by improving health infrastructure at the lowest levels.
The LF government had established an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) at the Raigunj Sadar Hospital, with WHO funding. About 4 years ago, this ICU was destroyed by Congress workers after the death of one patient. The current government has not even tried to re-open the ICU facility.
The “little boys” of the Trinamool, who had manhandled the Principal of Raigunj College, are also responsible for the withdrawal of the Medical Superintendent of Raigunj Sadar Hospital. No Superintendent can last for more than 1 year at this hospital. The group D cadre is severely understaffed, and all the present staff are temporary staff. There is not even the faintest indication of their salaries being raised ever since the Trinamool Congress government assumed power.
In spite of all these basic infrastructural deficits, AIIMS has been turned into a major issue in the Raigunj election campaign. Deepa Dasmunshi and Adhir Chowdhury are claiming that the State government has stalled the project and electing the Congress will solve the deadlock. On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress is attacking Deepa Dasmunshi for not being able to spend her MP LAD funds.
In fact, the election campaign has turned into a war of promises. Deepa Dasmunshi is promising to repair the National Highway. Just before the elections began, the Congress had whipped up quite a show about starting work on the highway. Extortion from the contractors has effectively ended up halting the project. The dismal road conditions has had a negative impact on the economy of the district.
In this war of words, what does the Left Front candidate Mohammed Salim promise? The veteran leader says that though many promises have been offered in the past 15 years, none of them have been fulfilled. He said that he does not intend to make any new promise. Instead, he intended to execute the feasible and realistic proposals out of the existing list. He frankly says that he would not make promises that can't be fulfilled. On no account does he intend to misguide the voters.
The Left Front is putting forward an agenda for Raigunj this year. The cultivation of ‘Boro’ paddy has gone down by 70 per cent. The rising prices of diesel and electricity have driven many farmers to grow maize instead of rice. Many farmers are also leaving agriculture to work as labourers in other States. Labourers are not getting employment under the MNREGA. Even today, there is no electricity in some of the places. The conditions of roads in the district are dismal. Left Front's promise of comprehensive development of the district will be primarily in the form of trying to address the basic issues raised in the agenda.