Only 18 nurses against sanctioned posts of 36 man Senapati dist hospital
Shortage of staff, facilities plagues hospital
Source: The Sangai Express
Senapati, July 28 2022:
Constructed under NEC funded NLCPR project, the 50 bedded district hospital in Senapati is plagued by absence of adequate staff and facilities like blood bank, water supply system.
According to reliable sources, the 50 bedded hospital has failed to deliver its intended objectives to the people as it does not adequate staff and facilities due to high OPD counts and admissions for treatment, making the hospital administration helpless but to seek assistance from the higher authority in Imphal.
Many patient parties and citizens also decried the 'lackadaisical attitude' of the Medical Department to address the problems besieging the district hospital.
As per the sources, the district hospital only has 18 nurses against the 36 sanctioned posts while the water supply system at the district hospital is also insufficient to provide for the patients, attendants and those living in the quarters of the hospital.
The district hospital receive water once a week from the newly inaugurated Karong Water Supply System, it added.
Saying that repeated reminders have been sent to the Health Directorate to address the issues at the district hospital which include water scarcity, unhygienic toilets and rooms, shortage of staff, non availability of adequate quarters for the medical staff, power issues, lack of funds for renovation and other works, the source said that Health Directorate, however, has not taken up any action to resolve the matter.
According to the sources, the district hospital has only one Laboratory Technician against the four required and doesn't have any micro-biologist, X-Ray technician, sonographer forcing the poor patients to seek treatment at private diagnostic centers.
Most of the serious patients and accident victims coming from remote villages are referred to medical centres at Imphal after giving first aid as the hospital doesn't have proper medical equipment and sufficient technical staff, it claimed and added that the district hospital has also not received RKS funds since 2020.The hospital also faces power cuts frequently and it puts the lives of many at risk, it added.
Moreover, many contractual staff stationed at the district hospital have not received salary for many months, it said and added that most of the rooms, especially quarters for officers, nurses and Medical Superintendent in the hospital have leaking roofs and require repairing.
The elevator of the hospital is still not functioning since its inauguration in 2014, the sources continued and asked why an important establishment like a district hospital is being neglected by the Government.