Staff shortage, infrastructure decay dog T Vaichong PHC
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, June 29 2025: The Primary Health Centre (PHC) at T Vaichong in Kangpokpi district's Twilang region is on the verge of collapse, with a crippling shortage of staff and essential services leaving thousands of residents in a health crisis.

The PHC, which is supposed to serve as a vital health facility for more than 50 villages in Twilang, has only four functioning staff members out of 24 sanctioned posts.

According to KSO Twilang Block president Thanggoulun Kipgen, only one of the four is a contractual doctor, and the centre becomes completely non-functional when he is on leave.

In the absence of medical care, patients are forced to travel over 35 kilometres to Kangpokpi district headquarters.

However, the road is in a severely damaged state, making travel during emergencies not only difficult but dangerous.

The deteriorated road has turned each medical journey into a major risk for the sick and their families.

The PHC building itself is in a poor state with crumbling walls and unusable facilities, further reflecting official apathy.

The only ambulance allotted to the centre is currently under repair.

With no alternative vehicle provided, patients are often left to use private transport or local arrangements during medical emergencies.

KSO Twilang Block has urged the government to provide an additional ambulance to ensure services are not disrupted.

The region's isolation is particularly stark given its geographical position.

Despite lying within three assembly constituencies - Tamei, Tadubi, and Kangpokpi - and along the historic Imphal-Tamenglong Road, the area remains cut off due to decades of neglect.

The road, once seen as a path to development, is now riddled with potholes and landslide prone stretches, making it virtually unusable, especially during the monsoon season.

The healthcare crisis is worsened by the lack of basic infrastructure like power supply.

Following heavy rainfall and flooding in recent weeks, electrical poles and wires of the 33KV line were washed away, plunging the region into darkness.

For a full month, the entire Twilang region remained without electricity.

In the absence of official support, the people of Twilang took it upon themselves to restore the power supply.

Braving challenging conditions, they repaired the poles and wires on their own, which took them an entire month.

KSO Twilang Block has demanded urgent government intervention to overhaul the PHC, fill all vacant staff positions, and provide a second ambulance to ensure Uninterrupted service.

It also reiterated long-standing demands for a reliable all-weather road and a stable power supply to end the prolonged suffering.

Thanggoulen Kipgen said that the people of Twilang are not demanding privileges but asking for access to healthcare and basic services without risking their lives.

He stressed that continued neglect of the region would only deepen the crisis and called on the authorities to act without delay.

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