TSG Bhasker Urges Chief Secretary to Deal with Difficulty of Unaffordable Medical Evacuation from A & N Islands to Mainland

Rohit Kumar

Sri Vijaya Puram, 21 April 2025

The Chairman of the Congress Campaign Committee, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. TSG Bhasker, has raised severe issues concerning the lack of superior medical services and the exorbitant value of emergency medical evacuations from the islands, urging the Chief Secretary to intervene instantly.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Mr. Bhasker highlighted that the price of airlifting a stretcher affected person to the mainland stands at roughly ₹3 lakh. When factoring in flight tickets for attendants and onboard medical companies, the overall expense climbs to almost ₹4 lakh — an quantity that’s past the attain of most island residents.

“This financial burden has tragically led to numerous preventable deaths, as patients are often unable to access timely medical care due to their inability to raise the required funds,” Mr. Bhasker said.

He underscored the pressing have to improve the islands’ healthcare infrastructure, calling emergency medical evacuation a “necessity rather than a choice” as a result of absence of superior care services regionally. Specifically, he known as for the appointment of a neurologist and nephrologist at G.B. Pant Hospital, stating the rising incidence of neuro and kidney-related illnesses amongst islanders.

Further compounding the difficulty, Mr. Bhasker drew consideration to the long-standing non-functional MRI machine at G.B. Pant Hospital, which has been out of service for practically a 12 months. As a outcome, sufferers are being referred to INHS Dhanvantari, the place they face months-long waits for scans, delaying crucial diagnoses and remedy.

Mr. Bhasker identified that the healthcare funds for the Union Territory for 2023–24 stands at ₹370 crore. He proposed that even a modest allocation of two% of this funds — round ₹7.5 crore — in the direction of airlifting critically in poor health sufferers and upgrading hospital infrastructure might considerably alleviate the hardships confronted by the native inhabitants.

Concluding his letter, Mr. Bhasker urged the Chief Secretary to take instant and concrete motion to forestall additional lack of lives within the islands as a result of avoidable healthcare delays.