The divide between India and Bharat or Imphal and hill dists
Story of Bharat written large on child's defective eyes
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 14 2010: Despite all the efforts of the State Government to improve health care facilities in the State, in addition to the Government of India's initiatives like the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to extend health care facilities to all parts of the country, still a large section of the State's population have been living under miserable conditions either due to abject poverty or absence of health care facilities or both.

"Doctor has advised me to take my son to Imphal for treatment.

I would like to go to Imphal but what I'm worried about is whether I can afford the expenditure", said one Onia who brought her ailing son to the health mela held at Don Bosco HSS, Maram today.

Mother and child bear the pain of lack of primary health care

Aged about 40 years, Onia belongs to Mao Pungdung village located about 15 Kms from Maram in Senapati district.

Although it has been months since her son's eyes got infected, she has been unable to treat her son due to financial woes.

She was hopeful of finally treating her son when she learnt about the health mela held at Maram.

But on reaching there, she was told that there was no eye specialist and was advised to take her son to an eye specialist at Imphal.

Onia said that her son has been suffering from eye sore and infections around the eye ball since 5/6 months back.

She had already taken her son to Senapati District Hospital where there was no eye specialist.

One doctor, after examining the boy, prescribed some medicines.

But the medicines could not cure the ailment.

Under the National Rural Health Mission, the State Health Mission was established to extend health care facilities to all remote villages.

Likewise, at district level too, District Health Mission Societies have been undertaking awareness campaigns in addition to organising health camps from time to time.

As a regular programme of the Mission, there is a provision of Rs 5 lakhs each to organise health melas in every district every year.

For Senapati district, the health mela would be held in two phases.

The first phase was held at Maram since yesterday till today under the aegis of the District Health Mission Society Senapati and Maram Students' Union.

Onia is a cultivator and she has eight children.

Commenting on such miserable state being faced by many people, Shija Hospitals Managing Director noted that whereas Government sponsored health care programmes could not reach a large section of the people, equal number of people are unable to access health care facilities available at private institutions as the medical charge by these institu- tions are higher.

As such, there is a need to implement the concept of public-private partnership in health care sector, Dr Palin said.

Even as no specialist was present at the Maram health mela, there were four specialist of gynaecology and obstetrics, ENT and medicine.

District programme manager Elizabeth noted that hill people have low accessibility to health care facilities.

She, however, exuded that the health mela would cater to medical requirements of many people belonging to Maram and surrounding villages.