Zunheboto, June 27 (MExN): The Sumi Hoho (SH) has urged the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW) to immediately post a Medical Superintendent to Zunheboto District Hospital without which the Hospital faces the likelihood of closing down.
The SH has been keeping regular checks on the only civil hospital in Zunheboto District but was moved to make another visit on June 21 following a report on the Hospital carried by The Morung Express on May 30 last.
After the visit, the SH sent a representation to the Commissioner & Secretary of the DoHFW, urging immediate action to rectify the deplorable condition of the hospital. The representation noted that despite several representations and meetings with the competent authority of the department, “nothing has been done to the hospital thus far.”
The SH felt that “we are given step motherly treatment and are deprived of the facilities and services we deserve.”
The SH visiting team consisted of its Vice President, Khehoshe Yepthomi, and General Secretary, Vihuto Asumi, along with Deputy Central Intelligence Officer, Stephen, and other elders. The SH officials interacted with few doctors who are operating the hospital. Zunheboto’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hokishe Kiho, was also present during the interaction.
They found that the hospital has been running without a Medical Superintendent (MS) for “the last half a decade.”
“Since there are no communications and correspondences with the higher ups, it is learnt that all the funds and schemes are halted. The functioning of the Hospital is very haphazard as the Medical Superintendent is not posted. The supposed to be District Hospital is no better than an outpost Medical Centre,” noted the representation.
As per the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), District Hospitals should have above 30 doctors of various specializations. However the Zunheboto District Hospital “has only 11 doctors of which only 3 – 4 of them are manning the hospital and rest of the doctors are hardly or never attending to their duties and are enjoying all the facilities and salaries at the cost of the lives and services of the people of Zunheboto district,” alleged the SH.
Thus, the SH urged the Commissioner & Secretary, DoHFW, to “immediately post” the Medical Superintendent “so that the systems can be streamlined in time, without which, the hospital is likely to close down by itself as with the present conditions, the indoor and outdoor patients have remarkably dropped down to more than half comparatively with the previous days and the patients of the district have to go elsewhere to seek treatment with great trouble.”
The Hoho further observed that the Zunheboto District Hospital has had a large share of “sickly and ill health doctors since most of the absentee doctors are citing health reasons.” Therefore, as per the standing government service rules, “all those doctors be given compulsory voluntary retirement and the required number competent doctors be posted to Zunheboto for smooth functioning of the hospital and in the interest of the people of Zunheboto,” requested the SH.
