Imphal, April 18 2009: The Wangoi Community Health Centre (CHC) which has been serving as a referral hospital for a large number of people belonging to Wangoi and surrounding areas is facing a crippling situation due to monetary demand from an armed group.

Concerned and worried over the monetary demand and unable to discharge their normal duties, doctors and staff of the CHC staged a protest demonstration today.

They put up placards which read as "Please stop demanding from Health Service", "Our service a contribution to the community", "Don't make monetary demand to Wangoi CHC" etc.

The CHC has been providing medical facilities for immunisation programmes, OPD, delivery cases and bed service to the people of Wangoi and surrounding areas including Mayang Imphal and Samurou.

At times of serious cases, the CHC gave ambulance service and made reference to larger hospitals like RIMS, JN Hospital etc.

The CHC which provides medical service round the clock is manned by one doctor, two nurses and four Grade-IV staff during night.

As the monetary demand was accompanied by threats of firing and bomb attacks in case of failure to meet the same, the single doctor and staff attending their duty at night feel quite insecure, said MO in-charge of the CHC Dr Satyabala.

In addition to earning very little revenue, majority of the staff working in the CHC are either contract basis employees or Grade-IV or staff of the National Rural Health Mission.

Moreover, there are many staff who have not been getting their salaries for the last 5/6 months.

Under such circumstances, the protest sitting was staged with an appeal to withdraw the demand, the MO in-charge said.

Disclosing that efforts of the People Protection Development Committee, Wangoi to withdraw the demand has not yielded any results, she conveyed about the armed group telling the committee to close down the CHC and threatening to bombard the health centre.

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