OUR CORRESPONDENT
DIGBOI: After years of mounting public grievances and repeated demands for its restoration, the beleaguered 200-bedded Assam Oil Division (AOD) Hospital in Digboi is finally drawing high-level government attention, with an upcoming assessment by the National Health Mission (NHM), Assam, following intervention by Digboi MLA Suren Phukan.
An NHM team headed by Executive Director Dr Abhijit Sarma is scheduled to visit the hospital on October 22 to evaluate its functioning and examine possible measures to improve healthcare delivery at an institution whose declining standards have become a matter of serious public concern. Once regarded as a healthcare lifeline for Digboi and adjoining areas, the British-era institution now faces persistent criticism over the shortage of specialist doctors, inadequate diagnostic facilities, and the frequent referral of patients to Dibrugarh for treatment. The deterioration has raised uncomfortable questions about how a hospital with substantial infrastructure has struggled to deliver services commensurate with its capacity and historical standing
The glaring disconnect between physical infrastructure and the quality of healthcare has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Residents have repeatedly expressed dismay over the limited availability of dependable medical services, while questions continue to surface over the effective utilisation of the hospital's manpower and resources. The controversy also brings AOD management's responsibilities under renewed scrutiny.