Proposal to send COVID-19 returnees to own districts opposed
Dimapur, May 26 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho (LH) has opposed the proposal to send the returnees to their respective districts, stating that the state capital has all the extra facilities on behalf of and for the Nagas as a whole. Before sending the returnees to the respective districts, equal medical facilities must be given to all the districts. The returnees must be sent to the respective districts only after going through all the prescribed tests, completion of quarantine period and after ascertaining that each returnee is free from coronavirus, the Lotha Hoho also insisted.
While agreeing to the AML and KVC’s statement that normally home districts have to shelter its citizens, the Lotha Hoho said that under the present circumstances, it will oppose such a move since the state capital Kohima has all the extra facilities on behalf of and for the Nagas as a whole.
If Kohima refuses to shoulder its responsibility to entertain, quarantine and take care of the COIVD- 19 Naga returnees, the other district headquarters will demand that the district headquarters must also have or be given equal facilities such as infrastructures, BSL-3 laboratory, medical equipments, doctors and paramedics etc to take care of the respective district returnees, the LH said in its statement on May 26.
“Kohima cannot take only the benefits in the name of being the state capital; without shouldering its responsibilities,” it said.
Wokha District Hospital has only one ventilator, one Cardiac Monitor, three thermal scanners, no X-Ray machine and no Truenat test kit, the Lotha Hoho highlighted. The district also has no Medical Specialist attached to District Hospital, since she is drawing her salary at Wokha but is attached to Dimapur District Hospital, it said, while adding that 6 PHCs have no Medical Officer.
As long as equal medical facilities are not given to the districts, but only concentrated at Kohima, the state capital should also shoulder its bounden responsibilities, it stated. Consequently, the Lotha Hoho said that it will oppose any proposal to send the returnees to their own districts. “The responsible authorities must not take any decision to incite state wide opposition,” it added.
