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DIMAPUR — The hardships and problems of rural healthcare centres are one of the most common challenges across Nagaland, depriving the villagers of even basic medical care.
Despite several efforts to improve the healthcare sector, the rural areas continue to struggle with absence of infrastructure, medical supplies, and shortage of medical professionals.
Nagaland is no exception as healthcare in its rural areas continues to suffer from lack of government attention and investment. A classic example of this problem can be seen in Pangsha Range, Noklak, as the people there continue to pay a heavy price for the absence of specialised medical care.
The five villages under Pangsha range—Wonthoi, New Pangsha, Pangsha Old, Dan Village, ITC (International Trade Centre) Dan—have at least one thing in common: they all share a doctor who is stationed at New Pangsha.
The Primary Health Care (PHC) at New Pangsha was upgraded from a dispensary in 2000. Posted through NHM, in collaboration with Eleutheros Christian Society (ECS), Dr. Sashi Longkumer was deployed at New Pangsha in April this year.
For many years, all the villages in the area were without a doctor until the arrival of Sashi Longkumer in April this year. In a telephonic conversation with Eastern Mirror, the doctor shared that the PHC at the village has improved slightly since his joining.
Currently, the PHC functions with three nurses and few attendants, and needs more manpower. It receives medical supply from the government roughly twice a year, which is not sufficient. For the past few months, the ECS has been providing free medical supplies to the PHC—alongside the government supplies.
ECS, an NGO with Tuensang as its headquarters, aims to empower vulnerable and marginalised communities, with a special focus on women and children, by improving health indicators, and livelihood opportunities through sustainable livestock rearing and farming practices.
The doctor also shared that though the healthcare centre has an ambulance, it is always on repair because of bad roads. And the generator, which is always a necessity for all kinds of electronic tests, with poor electricity power, is always on repairs.
The president of Pangsha Public Organisation (PPO), P Shingnya told this newspaper that the single Health Sub Centre (HSC) inaugurated in 2019 for both Dan and ITC Dan village was later upgraded to PHC, but no infrastructural upgrades have been made till date.
He lamented that no doctors have been posted at the PHC since day one and that it is run by a single nurse. Similarly, the sub centres at Pangsha Old and Wonthoi, inaugurated in the year 2019, are running with one nurse and two nurses respectively.
Shingnya shared that because of the absence of several facilities and with no doctor available, patients suffering from serious ailments are sent to either Noklak or New Pangsha. He credited the nurses for running the show alone in their respective centres.
With transportation a major issue, he shared that those who have fallen ill are usually brought to the healthcare centres either on two-wheelers or on foot.
When enquired about the absence of professionals at the healthcare centres, the president assumed that poor road conditions and the remoteness of the area as the main reasons why doctors choose not to come there.
T Temhao, the only nurse at ITC Dan PHC, shared how she had been holding the fort alone since 2020. She lamented that the PHC is loaded with problems like absence of proper equipment and healthcare facilities found in other PHCs.
As a result of this, patients with serious ailments have to be referred to either New Pangsha or Noklak, she shared.
Currently, she is occupied with an investigation into the recent fever outbreak ‘that needs to be submitted, with nobody to help her’. She recalled how the PHC got busier with dozens of villagers visiting the centre with symptoms of cough and fever.
Being a mother of two, the nurse struggles to manage time for family and serving at the PHC.
She said the PHC has three normal beds, one labour bed, one IV stand, three lockers, one pressure kit, one delivery kit, and a baby weighing scale. As for the table and chairs, they were provided by the village council.
With the PHC located in the forested area, she shared that rats usually end up destroying the medicines and papers. She listed a steel almirah and a steriliser machine as urgent necessities.
Temhao also requested the government to provide a continuous supply of medicine, even if it is in small quantities.
14th AR to the rescue
As a relief for the villagers, the 14th Assam Rifles, over the years, have been conducting free medical camps across the five villages under Pangsha Range.
The PPO president informed that there was an outbreak of cough and cold among the residents of Dan village and with no proper centres, the council requested 14th AR to hold free medical camp in the affected village.
As requested, the 14th AR conducted a three-day free medical camp where as many as 298 villagers availed the benefit of with free health check-up and medicines.
During the three-day medical camp, medical officials from Noklak Civil Hospital and New Pangsha Hospital also provided assistance.