Imphal, April 01: The Zomi Human Rights Foundation along with some local pressmen including this correspondent today visited the District Hospital here and exposed some of its astonishing yet murky facts.

While there was only one surgeon in the hospital, its work was burdened by the task of being a Medical Superintendent and the wards that demand hectic schedule were in sort of staff nurses as there are only 5 nurses for the Casualty ward and 4 for Gynae, with only 1/2 available at a time.

Nurses however were said to be more than sufficient in wards that needed them least as political influence had hampered the authority of concerned official, said sources in the Hospital.

The visiting team finds that some of the Doctors haven't turn up for two consecutive days while an ego clashed left a boy's wound unattended as his doctor refused treatment after an English Doctor (according to his Father) believed to be from the Doctors without Borders attended him.

When interviewed none of the patient claimed that free medicine was provided while a patient had to produce his own material for an operation including the oil needed to keep the generator running.

When enquired, the storekeepers claimed that the meager and far from sufficient supply they received from Imphal was disbursed according to the needs of the wards and express their helplessness in providing the chloroform as its demand was doubled by the presence of compatible Ortho and ENT Doctors who had performed operations that was never done before.

It took more than an hour to unlock the garage that house the one and only but unusable Ambulance that was lying without tyres and a cracked mechanism the Hospital had, as there was no responsible person available when the visiting team demanded to have a look at its condition.

Being an operation day and the only surgeon busying at his work the team failed to meet the Medical Superintendent.

On investigating some cases, it is learned that some of the Doctors and Nurses were colluding with medical stores and clinical laboratories as there were instances in which the concerned doctor declined to accept materials taken from other than their prescribed stores and labs.

It is also earned that some nurses were selling pre-packed medical kit to patients and reject those taken from other sources.

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