Imkong Walling
Stories about health workers barred from returning home abound (courtesy: extra-constitutional diktats). There are also stories of the ailing dying, unable to get timely admission in hospitals for want of COVID-19 report card.
In addition, non-COVID conditions not getting the attention it deserve is another emerging disturbing trend.
Hospitals recording reduced patient footfalls, since the COVID-19 alarm was sounded, have become an accepted, or rather, an unavoidable outcome. This phenomenon notwithstanding, the government relegating non-COVID cases to the backwaters has become apparent and is turning out to be just as big a crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has become all the more apparent with reports increasing about hospitals turning away patients with terminal illness, or, even requiring emergency medical attention.
And with the government district hospitals switched to exclusive COVID facilities, the people, especially, the economically marginalized, have been left with no choice but to helplessly watch near and dear ones die. The government may not admit it but such cases are happening and deserve immediate attention.
To quote a comment by Dr Sedevi Angami, Director of the CISHR, Dimapur, at a webinar organised by the Naga Scholars Association two months ago, “The problem right now is that the district hospitals have gone off the map for non-COVID cases. That is going to be a major problem because a lot of poor people will not have access to health facilities and all the non-COVID situations are going to suffer.”
It is playing out now for real and nipping this emerging non-COVID medical crisis in the bud should also be in the radar of the state government.
It is understood the state government is playing by the national COVID-19 protocol but there is no rule that says other ailments be ignored.
As pointed out by Dr Sedevi at the time, filling the gaps or covering the non-COVID sector demands an integrated planning and implementation between the government, private sector and non-governmental stakeholders.
If one is to take the liberty of interpreting that statement, it implied an inclusive course of action catering to all.
With majority of the positive cases asymptomatic, requiring no hospitalization, it would not be too expensive a task to have more COVID Care Centres for the asymptomatic and lessening the load on the existing COVID Hospitals.
Further, relocating COVID Hospitals, in Dimapur and Kohima— if not in all the districts— to exclusive facilities sounds monetarily intimidating but not impossible. If that is affected, it would enable the district hospitals to resume the pre-COVID services.
Lack of money and human resources is all too apparent but it should serve as no excuse to completely write off other ailments.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
