Staff, infrastructure shortage dog Kyamgei Hospital
Source: Chronicle News Service / Oinam Mission

Imphal, August 26 2022: Established with high hope of ensuring efficient health care services to people residing in the outskirts of Imphal city, the Kyamgei Hospital has, however, failed to deliver the service in the absence of adequate staff, medical equipment and infrastructure.

The hospital was constructed with the technical assistance from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic as a dedicated 200-bedded Covid Hospital including 50 ICU beds.

Set up at a cost of Rs 37 crore, the hospital was completed in December 2020 and was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with many other projects in January ahead of the state assembly election.

Sources said that the government constructed the hospital for utilisation as a full-fledged hospital after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Consequently deputy secretary of health and family welfare issued an order on June 10, 2022 to convert the hospital into a maternity and child hospital.

The order mandated routine OPD service With immediate effect by posting adequate gynaecologists, paediatricians, nurses and other support staff.

It also instructed the authority concerned to make necessary arrangements for staff accommodation, labor rooms and minor operation theatres.

Despite the order, the hospital has not been able to deliver services to the public due to absence of medical and support staff, infrastructure and basic equipment.

Earlier on January 10 this year, the health authority started general OPD from 9 am to 3 pm following significant decline in Covid-19 cases.

For a couple of months, the hospital provided general OPD but the service ceased after the government terminated the services of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, who were engaged temporarily for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic on March 16, after which 16 of the doctors, who were providing OPD service, were terminated from their services.

Following the June 10 order, the health department posted one gynaecologist, one paediatrician and an MO surgery to the hospital on utilisation.

As of now, the hospital has one MS in-charge, one deputy MS, three doctors, three nurses and two electricians.

It does not have proper infrastructure for a maternity and child hospital.

Among the most important infrastructure, the hospital lacks operation theatre, blood bank, labor room and staff accommodation.

There is the need for modification, strengthening manpower and extension of the hospital.

In the absence of such infrastructure and manpower, the hospital is simply providing routine check-up.

A local resident told The People's Chronicle that they had high hope of getting access to healthcare services when the hospital was first constructed.

It is unfortunate that the government has not been able to run the hospital properly.

The location was perfect for a hospital as the village lies in the outskirts of Imphal city.

The local residents had no objection when the government took the decision to convert it into an exclusive hospital for maternity and child health.

They simply want the hospital to deliver its intended services properly, he said, while drawing attention of the government in this regard.

Meanwhile, a reliable source from the state health department said that the department is holding a meeting on August 29 during which the department will collect report from the medical superintendent in-charge on the requirement and present status of the hospital.

The department will further discuss the matter after assessing the report of the MS in-charge, the source informed.

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