Chief Minister O. Ibobi stressed the other day the need for providing better health care and better education to all. Competition in these two sectors has gained a new dimension. The entry of private parties in these two sectors have brought a sea change in health care and education. But the poor and common masses have not got the benefit at all. The entry of private partners has eaten into the pockets of common masses. Education has now become a costly affair. There are Government schools everywhere. But the poor parents do not want to send their children to the Government schools. Because teachers do not attend school in time and even if they go to school they do not go directly to the class room. A simple visit to a Government school will reveal that. The poor parents who sent their children to private school complain of higher fee imposed by the school authority. Poor parents without knowing the fee for treatment at private clinic is costly take their ailing sons and daughters even for treatment of influenza and when the bill arrives they fall aghast. Influential men can get better health care facilities at the Government hospitals but who will take care of us, the poor men argue. A lot needs to be done to attract patients at the Government hospitals. These common men understand that private clinics do not have specialist doctors as the Government hospitals are having. But they insist on getting treatment at the private clinics. This shows that what is required is the extension of help to the patients. But in the Government hospitals patients are left unattended on the bed. Amazingly they do not die and they recover on their own. If the death reckons you none will be able to save you. We have Health Minister, Education Minister. The task before them is really enormous. The well being of a state and its people are decided when better health care is given and better education provided to all. We all agree the Government gives top priority to these two sectors. Now we have too many school dropouts in many areas of the state. This is also a change brought by the entry of private partners in education sector. Likewise patients belonging to poor families rot at the Government hospitals. This is also a change brought by the entry of private partners in health care. Doctors abandon their duty at the Government hospitals to earn extra money at the private clinics. Do not allow Government doctors to run private clinics or whoever caught performing duty at the private clinics should be suspended from their job. They can earn money, there is nothing wrong about that but they must relinquish Government jobs. Hundreds of Doctors are without job in Manipur. Government must frame rules to ban mushrooming of both private schools and private clinics. Students admitted in a particular area should be from the particular area only. For instance a private school run at ward number one should have students from the same ward only. Is the Government hearing?
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