Tamei cries of adequate medical attention
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Imphal, August 21 2014:
Tamei, the sleepy hill town situated at a distance of over hundred kilometres from the state capital Imphal in the western Manipur district of Tamenglong has all ails to share especially when it comes to the health care front, thanks to the callous attitude of the State Government and the local MLA Kikhonbou Newmai.
On August 19, large number of the denizens of Tamei area took out a protest rally in the sub divisional headquarters demanding that the required number of doctors be posted at the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Tamei.
The aggrieved people even locked the PHC few days earlier as there was no point in opening the health centre without doctors.
Kikhonbou Newmai is the present local MLA, who is also the Vice Chairman of Hill Area Committee (HAC).
He is from the ruling Congress party.
However, the weakness of the local MLA is clearly reflected as not a single doctor is regularly able to station in the PHC, Tamei.
Many local leaders who spoke to Newmai News Network attributed the farcical situation in Tamei PHC to Kikhonbou Newmai and the Manipur government.
They said the local MLA has the advantage by virtue of being from the ruling Congress and can render his best service to his constituency by at least making the required number of doctors made to station in the PHC.
Yesterday, the rallyists pledged to further their agitation by resorting to more stringent forms of protest in the days to come.
The massive rally was held at Tamei headquarters in Tamenglong district demanding the posting of doctors at Tamei Primary Health Centre (PHC).
Simultaneiously, a 12-hour bandh was also imposed in the Tamei sub divisional headquarters from 3 am on the day jointly by Zeliangrong Students Union-Tamei Area (ZSU-TA), Tamei Headquarters Youth Club, Liangmai Pui Baudi, Tamei Women Front, Tamei Students' Union and Liangmai Katimai Ruangdi (LNKR) .
It is worth mentioning here that in the latter part of July, a meeting was held by Zeliangrong Students Union-Tamei Area (ZSU-TA), Tamei Headquarters Youth Club, Liangmai Pui Baudi, Tamei Women Front, Tamei Students' Union and Liangmai Katimai Ruangdi (LNKR) and they resolved to carry out a series of agitations if the state government's step-motherly treatment continues.
Various local newspapers had published the demands of the Tamei frontal organisations on July 25 .
The people of the sub division heavily depend on the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Tamei as the other sub-health centres in the sub-division have been totally non-functional.
Patients rushing to the PHC often go back home as doctors are not in station.
During the July meeting, the frontal organisations of the sub division had demanded that doctors and staff are posted at the only PHC immediately.
They had also demanded that the PHC should be made functional round the clock.
Villagers have no means to rush to Imphal or the district headquarters for medical attention, the organisations said, adding, "The proper functioning of the PHC will help ease the peoples' hardship" .
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