Community Health Centre in Shamator operating without a single doctor

Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 22 (EMN): Citizens of Shamator town in Tuensang district are dependent on the Community Health Centre (CHC), Shamator for availing healthcare services but the centre is struggling to remain afloat with inadequate staff and healthcare professionals.

The CHC Shamator, which was upgraded in 2014, is said to be operating without nurses and doctors during the second wave of Covid-19.

The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) member secretary, Thsantong told Eastern Mirror that the CHC, which is operational, is being looked after by two staff nurses without a single doctor. One medical officer was transferred last year without a reliever by the department, which he said ‘is a clear indication of apathy and discrimination’.

“For a CHC to be operational to tend to the healthcare of the people, there should be a strength of seven nurses and four doctors but the government is yet to provide us manpower with the strength of a CHC even after repeated appeals,” the secretary lamented. 

He pointed out that the nearest healthcare centre for the people of Shamator is the district hospital in Tuensang, which is about 56 km away and takes three to four hours to reach the district headquarters due to deplorable road condition.

Besides poor condition of the health centre and inadequate manpower, there is shortage of medicines while some are out of stock, JCC member secretary said.

Shamator town has reported 12 Covid positive patients who are aged between 30-50 years.

“The patients are deprived of medical attention and there is no Covid Care Centre in the town and the CHC is 10-bedded. The patients are self-isolating at home but are being stigmatised and neglected because of lack of medical facilities,” Thsantong told this newspaper.

The Covid positive patients, he said, were detected during the random testing conducted by the Tuensang CMO office surveillance team. During the first wave of Covid-19, five Covid positive patients were taken care of at the District Hospital Tuensang.