Who Really Runs Assam’s Health Department? CM Sarma or Minister Singhal?

The tragic death of a newborn inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has left more than just grieving families in its wake. They have ripped open a peculiar political paradox: Who exactly is Assam’s Health Minister — Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, or cabinet minister Ashok Singhal?

On paper, Ashok Singhal holds the health and family welfare portfolio. But in reality, the state’s health narrative — from hospital probes to medical policy — seems firmly scripted and directed by Sarma himself.

Following the NICU tragedy, it was Sarma, not Singhal, who rushed to GMCH, formed a three-member high-level inquiry committee, and ordered stern action against negligence. Sarma minced no words, stating, “Despite having sufficient equipment and fewer patients today, three infants were kept on one bed. This is unacceptable negligence.”

He even went further during a rally in Kokrajhar’s Kachugaon, bluntly declaring:
“I am the health minister, and health minister don’t look after the GMCH. I am the minister who looks after the GMCH. What has happened yesterday at the GMCH, I will be answerable, not the health minister.”

A Silent Health Minister

In stark contrast, earlier, after the incident, Health Minister Ashok Singhal made a brief telephonic intervention from Goalpara, claiming he had directed GMCH authorities to take action. But his conspicuous absence from the crisis management table and public silence has raised eyebrows.

“Is Ashok Singhal the health minister of the state? The people of Assam don’t know who is the proper health minister of the state,” said AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam. “He has got no proper information about an important department which is health. Such kind of person is being seated in the department only because he is close to the CM.”

This criticism is not without merit. In moments of crisis, the people naturally expect the health minister to be the visible face of accountability. Instead, they witnessed a chief minister doubling up as health czar, a move that raises deeper questions about concentration of power within the Assam cabinet.

A Hospital in Crisis

The NICU probe has already unearthed disturbing details. Out of two CCTV cameras inside the ward, one was defunct and the other provided blurred footage — a symbol of how oversight in critical care has been reduced to blurred accountability.

Meanwhile, Guwahati police under DCP Mrinal Deka have arrested 11 hospital staff members — 8 men and 3 women — for allegedly extorting money from families of newborns. Parents said staff charged between ₹500 and ₹1000 for basic services like “trolley pullers” and even tea for employees.

The following persons have been arrested for allegedly extorting money from delivery patients:

1. Nandu Das, 50 yrs (Safaiwala)
   SO: Gotia Das, Ghatiapara
   PS: Dhula, Dist: Darrang
   Contact: 9387116203

2. Chinmoy Deka, 23 yrs (Trolley Man)
   SO: Nitya Deka, Bongaltola
   PS: Hajo, Dist: Kamrup (R)
   Contact: 7099874572

3. Prabin Deka, 40 yrs (Safaiwala)
   SO: Anthir Deka, Dhokapara
   PS: Sipajhar, Dist: Darrang
   Contact: 6901889820

4. Ganesh Bania, 35 yrs (Safaiwala)
   SO: Dharmaram Bania, Hundarithal
   PS: Kamalpur, Dist: Kamrup (R)
   Contact: 8761974109

5. Golap Talukdar, 43 yrs (Safaiwala)
   SO: Padmaram Talukdar, Ramdia
   PS: Hajo, Dist: Kamrup (R)
   Contact: 9365853056

6. Nayanmoni Medhi, 25 yrs (Safaiwala)
   SO: Lakhi Medhi, Bongaltola
   PS: Hajo, Dist: Kamrup (R)
   Contact: 6003540774

7. Pratima Sarkar, 35 yrs, F (Trolley Man)
   DO: Shubal Sarkar, Trinahojari
   PS: Khetri, Dist: Kamrup (M)
   Contact: 9365404145

8. Sukla Bairagi, 43 yrs, F (Trolley Man)
   WO: Shiv Shankar Bairagi, Geeta Nagar, Panipath, H No. 27
   PS: Geeta Nagar, Dist: Kamrup (M)
   Contact: 9954091190

9. Alaka Chaudhury, 37 yrs, F (Trolley Man)
   DO: Juganta Das, Chanmaguri
   PS: Rangia, Dist: Kamrup (R)
   Contact: 8453089916

10. Lankeswar Rajbongshi, 23 yrs, M (Driver)
    SO: Manik Rajbongshi, Mohajanpara
    PS: Baihata Chariali, Dist: Kamrup (R)
    Contact: 6000235051

11. Ajijul Hoque, 25 yrs, M (Trolley Man)
    SO: Tajil Ali, Titkuri
    PS: Rangia, Dist: Kamrup (R)
    Contact: 8812949425

The case (No. 140/25), filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), remains in its preliminary stages, but police have warned more arrests are likely.

Accountability in Question

While CM Sarma has directed the hospital to apologise to the bereaved family and announced plans for Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to avoid overcrowding in ICUs, his statement — “I am the health minister” — is telling. It not only undermines Ashok Singhal’s authority but also underscores the blurred lines of governance in Assam.

If Sarma is indeed the “real” health minister, then why keep Singhal as a ceremonial face? And if Singhal is expected to shoulder responsibility, why is he missing from the forefront of one of Assam’s worst hospital tragedies in recent memory?

The Larger Picture

The opposition sees this as symptomatic of a deeper problem: over-centralisation of power in the Chief Minister’s hands. By publicly sidelining his own health minister, Sarma may have reassured grieving families that he is personally in control, but he has also created confusion over ministerial accountability.

Moreover, if the state’s premier hospital could allow infants to share beds and staff to run a cash racket under its very nose, what does it say about the broader state of Assam’s public health system?

As Rafiqul Islam caustically asked: “Now who is the ‘unknown’ people? People like Ashok Singhal are unknown, and they are being given such priorities.”

A Hard Truth

The GMCH incident is more than medical negligence; it is a governance failure. When infants die not for lack of technology but for lack of discipline, when nurses are suspended but extortion rackets thrive, and when two men claim to be health minister but only one acts, the people are left to wonder: who truly governs their health?

For now, Assam’s health system finds itself in intensive care — and the fight for political accountability may prove as critical as saving lives.

Also Read: GMCH Faces Scrutiny: Bhangagarh Police Detain Staff After NICU Fatality