Imphal, November 25: 'Health care for all' is just an empty slogan in Ukhrul district with most of the health care centres in Ukhrul district are as good as non-existent today.

On top of lack of the requisite infrastructures, dereliction of duties by the staff, who either remain absent from duty most of the time or never attend to their duties, dilapidated condition of the buildings and absence of quarter facilities for the staff have become the hallmark of health care delivery system of this hill district.

And most surprising of all, persons who are above 80 years of age are found working in some of the health care centres of the district.

A joint team of media and representatives of Manipur Forward Youth Front (MAFYF) and The Salvage of Distressed North East Group (SODNER-Group) recently conducted an inspection tour of all the health care centres in Ukhrul district over a period of four days and found them wanting in various fronts.

During the course of the inspection tour conducted from November 21 to 24, the joint team came across rusted medical equipments and signatures of the staff entering in the attendance register not just on all working days but even on Sundays and other general holidays, though the staff were not to be seen anywhere, in some of the health centres.

The inspection team had covered altogether 5 Primary Health Centres, one Community Health Centre and 22 Primary Health Sub-Centre located in different parts of the district.

However, one all these health centres that have been inspected by the joint team, there was not even one which could be singled out as something better than the other.

With exception to the CHC at Kamjong where one Dr Justice along with some of his available staff was found taking care of the medical needs of the villagers, the joint team did not came across any other doctors attending to their duties in the health centres even if the villagers claimed otherwise.

Interacting with the inspection team, Dr Justice, who is also MO of the CHC Kamjong informed that there are some doctors and staff who come to attend to their duties regularly while there are also others who never do so.

If the authority concerned do not pay serious attention to this, the situation may remain same as it is for a long time, Dr Justice, said, while informing that the biggest problem being faced in his health centre is absence of an ambulance.

'The condition of the road till Kamjong is relatively better.

But in the interior areas, the roads are not good and there is no ambulance to go there', the doctor lamented.

Out of the six PHCs in the district, the condition of the PHCs in Chingai and Phungyar are in their worst condition.

As for the PHC at Chingai, after the inauguration of its beautiful building by the Chief Minister some years back, there has been no medical equipments and doctors in it.

However, the building of the PHC at Phungyar seems to be just waiting to be crumble down although the staff are found putting their signatures on the attendance register even on Sundays and Holidays.

The buildings of the PHCs at Kangkhui, Somdal and Lambui are in still good condition, the team did not came across any doctors in these health centres.

However, the villagers informed the visiting team that one doctor come to the Somdal PHC atleast twice or thrice a month and one doctor at the PHCs of Kangkhui and Lambui once in a while.

The inspection team had also detected a lot of medicines whose date of expiry are over at the PHCs of Phungyar, Somdal, etc.

Talking to mediapersons after the inspection in connection with the existing condition of the PHCs, executive secretary of SODNER-Group Stuart John Groser said the health centres in Ukhrul district are as good as non-existent or non-functioning.

'If this is the condition of the PHCs, we can very well imagine how the PHSCs and dispensaries might be functioning in other parts of the district', he summed up.

True to it, there was no building for the PHSC at Maku in Kamjong sub-division.

At Shiroi, the building of the PHSC was found to have been occupied by a family and at Kharasom, it has been being used as a school building.

The inspection team also learnt that there has been no doctor at the PHSC of Poi for the last 15 years.

Over and above the sorry state of affairs prevailing in all these health centres, the most surprising fact that the inspection team came across was the employment of three persons who are above 80 years of age at three of the health centres.

One 86-year old Vareichung Jajo, who is said to have been promoted from the post of Chowkidar was found working as an attendant at Phungyar PHC while 80 yr old Shimkiye was working as the chowkidar of Somdal PHC even as 75-yr old Ningmasi is drawing her monthly salary as the Grade-IV employee of Sangshak PHC.

In connection with the inspection tour, MAFYF president Sapamcha Kangleipal categorically stated that existing condition of the health centres has shown that health sector is a total flop and the governance has not able to reach out to the people in remote areas.

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