Patients without borders: Medical tourism sees upsurge in Dimapur

• Maximum health tourists are from Assam
• District Hospital, Nikos Hospital record highest number of health tourists with an average of 60% - 70% monthly
• Private healthcare institutions provide substantial employment opportunities
• Ailments related to women top among various treatments

[caption id="attachment_203589" align="alignnone" width="550"] Patients from Karbi Anglong district of Assam taking rest at a waiting shed outside the Dimapur District Hospital in Dimapur. (EM Images)[/caption] Eastern Mirror Desk Dimapur, Aug. 28: Patients from Nagaland had for long travelled to the neighbouring states of Northeast region for better healthcare and medical facilities. The trend has turned around, but to a desirable development. During the course of Eastern Mirror collecting data from some of the major health institutions in Dimapur, it was found out that hospitals in the district are no stranger to patients from other states. From minor injuries to major operations, mild fever to high temperature, patients from states outside Nagaland are in constant search for better care at Dimapur’s hospitals. The medical superintendent of the Dimapur District Hospital, Dr. Kheshito Zhimo, told Eastern Mirror that there were “no good hospitals” around the areas of Bokajan, Golaghat, Diphu, and Tinsukia region of Assam. Therefore, patients in stated areas come to the hospital for all sorts of treatment—this made Assam top the list of medical tourists coming to the state for treatment. Talking about patients from other Northeast states, the superintendent informed that a few patients are from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura. However, patients from states such as Meghalaya, and Mizoram are very rare. Maximum health tourists are from Assam Dimapur District Hospital According to the district hospital’s medical record department (MRD), an average of 60-70% of patients comes from outside the state monthly. “Although the number fluctuates every month, the average total remains the same,” said medical record in-charge Njemo M Ngullie. In the month of January 2018, the total number of patients was 13561, including those in the outpatient department (OPD) and patient department (IPD). The hospital also gives treatment to an average of 404 patients daily. Nikos hospital The administrative officer of Nikos Hospital, Faruk Ali, told Eastern Mirror that “about 70 % of patients are from outside Nagaland.” Majority of the patients are from the neighbouring states of Assam and a few from Manipur. On an average, 125 OPD and 12 IPD patients are admitted to the hospital daily, Ali added. Eden Medical Centre (EMC) The medical institution treats cancer patients in Nagaland. According to the administrative officer of the centre, M Lily Kent, ‘Patients including locals and non-locals usually come for cancer treatment at the hospital.’ She said, “Out of 60 patients, maximum of six persons would be from other states.” Majority of these patients are from nearby areas such as Bokajan, Karbi-Anglong, and Diphu. She added that about three patients are admitted to the hospital daily. JK hospital On a monthly basis, “an average of 10 to 20 patients is from Assam,” said Dr. LA Kikon, gynaecologist and proprietor of the hospital. He added that patients from Manipur also come to the hospital for medical treatment. Christian Institute of Health Scientific Research (CIHSR) An average of 24 IPD, including local residents and those from other states are admitted daily. However, “finding the percentage of inpatients from outside of Nagaland is not possible since there is no data (on number of patients) collected,” the hospital’s management said. Zion Hospital The number of patients from outside Nagaland is 12%, the hospital authority says. Private healthcare institutions provide substantial employment opportunity EMC Kent said that the hospital has a total of 274 employees, out of which 35 are non-local persons. She maintained that most of the workers from other states are employed at fourth grade levels such as housing staff. A few of them are employed at grade-three levels such assistants. However, “We don’t have any employees at grade one and grade two levels (administrative or executive tiers),” she said. CIHSR According to data provided by the hospital, out of 423 employees, 156 are from outside the state. That means an average of 36.8% of the staff is from outside the state. Zion Hospital A total of 16 employees are non-indigenous, according to the hospital’s record. Out of these employees, staff nurses constitute the highest number at nine, followed by lab technician, pharmacist, and grade-four staff. Nikos hospital At Nikos hospital, five employees out of 180 workers are from outside Nagaland. JK Hospital Unlike other private hospitals that have non-indigenous employees, the proprietor of JK Hospital Dr. LA Kikon said that all the employees in the hospital were local. District Hospital The MRD in-charge Ngullie told Eastern Mirror that out of 230 employees, about six to seven of them were non-indigenous employees. Ailments related to women tops among various treatments Speaking about the types of treatment at the hospital, Nikos Hospital’s administrative officer Ali said that caesarean was the most common, followed by laparoscopy diagnosis, normal delivery, and paediatrics. He pointed out that out of 125 patients, 65 are patients seeking treatment for gynaecological problems. From the district hospital, the MRD report shows that women-related treatments such as obstetrics, caesarean, and normal deliveries are most common compared to other types of treatment. According to district hospital’s January 2018 report, there were 299 normal deliveries; 61 caesarean cases and more than 60 % for those seeking treatment for obstetrics issues. The manager of Faith Hospital, Limha, told Eastern Mirror that In Vitro Fertilization was the most common treatment at the hospital.