COCOMI team inspects Jiribam Hospital, relief camp
Urges Govt to strengthen healthcare
Source: The Sangai Express

Jiribam, July 11 2026: A five-member delegation of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) visited Jiribam on a two-day tour and inspected the Jiribam District Hospital, the relief camp at Vidyanagar and Jiri Ima Keithel on Saturday.

The team was accompanied by members of the COCOMI Jiribam Branch and local residents.

The delegation comprised COCOMI head office coconvenor Yumkhaibam Surjitkumar Khuman, media coconvenor Phijarn Shyamchand, finance convenor Laikhuram Jayanta, CC member Nongthomba Shanajaoba and Ningthoujam Dipanjit, along with president, convenor, coconvenors of COCOMI Jiribam branch and representatives of various organisations.

Addressing the media after inspecting Jiribam District Hospital, Surjitkumar said the prolonged ethnic violence has severely affected the people of Jiribam, making the district hospital a vital healthcare facility as road connectivity with Imphal remains uncertain.

He said COCOMI had visited the hospital in 2024 when its condition was "dilapidated" and acknowledged that some improvements have since been made.

However, he maintained that the hospital is still far from meeting the needs of the people.

According to him.

against a sanctioned strength of around 105 doctors and staff, only 23 personnel are currently serving at the hospital, including just nine doctors, none of whom is a specialist.

He said the shortage of specialist doctors has forced many patients to seek treatment outside the district, while several economically weaker patients have reportedly lost their lives due to delays in accessing advanced medical care.

Urging the Government to immediately post specialist doctors and provide essential medical equipment, Surjitkumar also pointed to the nonfunctional ICU, shortage of staff, underutilised medical equipment, and inadequate maintenance of the oxygen plant and blood bank.

He further said the absence of a backup generator leaves the hospital virtually paralysed during power outages.

WASED Jiribam vice-president Y Chandrasakhi also expressed dissatisfaction over the condition of the hospital, stating that despite repeated assurances from the authorities that deficiencies would be addressed, many essential facilities are still lacking.

She alleged that medical staff have at times been forced to use torchfights during deliveries due to power cuts, questioning the state of healthcare in the district.

The COCOMI team later visited the relief camp at Vidyanagar, where internally displaced persons (IDPs) shared their hardships.

One woman staying at the camp said she had been living there for the past three years after her house was allegedly burnt down during the ethnic violence by armed Kuki militants.

She said she continues to live in cramped conditions and has been unable to trace her husband and children since the violence began.

Expressing a desire to return to her native village, she appealed to the authorities to rebuild their homes, saying she wished to live on her own land again despite the hardships she might free.

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