PHC Vaichong in decrepit state
Source: The Sangai Express
Kangpokpi, June 29 2025:
In a heart-breaking testament to the state of rural healthcare in Manipur, the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at T Vaichong in Twilang Region, Kangpokpi district, is teetering on the edge of total collapse, leaving thousands of people to fend for themselves in dire circumstances.
The PHC, intended to be a lifeline for the people of Twilang region, has been reduced to a mere shell of its purpose.
Out of 24 sanctioned staff posts, shockingly, only four personnel - including a single contractual doctor - have been managing the health centre for the past two to three years.
According to KSO Twilang Block president Thanggoulun Kipgen, this chronic shortage of healthcare staff has rendered the PHC virtually non-functional.
The plight deepens when the lone contractual doctor proceeds on leave, leaving the health centre without any physician.
During such periods, patients are left with no choice but to undertake arduous and often life-threatening journeys to the district headquarters at Kangpokpi, which is over 35 kilometres away.
To compound the suffering, the road connecting T Vaichong to Kangpokpi is in a severely dilapidated condition, transforming every medical emergency into a nightmarish ordeal.
The decrepit state of the PHC building itself paints a grim picture - with crumbling infrastructure and decaying facilities, it stands as a glaring symbol of the Government's neglect.
The only ambulance allotted to the PHC is currently under repair, further deepening the crisis.
In the absence of this crucial service, patients are left without any emergency transport, forcing them to rely on private vehicles or even makeshift arrangements during critical situations.
The KSO Twilang Block president has appealed to the authorities concerned to urgently provide an additional ambulance to the PHC at T Vaichong so that uninterrupted service can be ensured while the existing vehicle undergoes repairs.
Twilang Region, situated in Kangpokpi district, encompasses more than 50 villages with a population of approximately fifteen thousand people.
Despite being surrounded by three Assembly Constituencies - Tamei, Tadubi, and Kangpokpi - the region remains an island of neglect, its residents forced to bear the brunt of administrative apathy.
The irony is particularly bitter considering that the historic Imphal-Tamenglong Road, the oldest State highway in Manipur, passes through this lush green belt.
Once envisioned as a gateway to development and connectivity, the road today exists in a grotesque state of disrepair, riddled with potholes and craters that make travel perilous and sometimes impossible.
For decades, the people of Twilang have cherished the dream of having an all-weather road that could connect them to the rest of the State and ensure timely access to healthcare and essential services.
That dream, however, remains a distant mirage, as year after year, promises evaporate and the people continue to suffer in silence.
The severe lack of doctors and critical staff, the nonfunctional state of the PHC, the absence of an ambulance, and the treacherous road conditions have created a perfect storm of suffering.
Pregnant women, elderly patients, and critically ill individuals face the gravest danger, often paying with their lives for the absence of basic medical facilities.
Moreover, the recent flood triggered by incessant rainfall wreaked havoc on the region's already fragile infrastructure.
Many electrical poles and wires, particularly of the 33KV line, were washed away, plunging the entire region into a prolonged blackout.
According to Thanggoulun Kipgen, the region faced a complete blackout for a month.
In a remarkable show of resilience and community spirit, the people of Twilang took it upon themselves to restore the damaged electrical network.
Braving dangerous conditions and with no external support, they worked relentlessly for an entire month to reinstall poles and repair wires, finally bringing light back to their villages.
"It is high time that the authorities concerned wake up to this catastrophic neglect.
The people of Twilang Region are not asking for luxury; they are pleading for their right to live - to access healthcare and basic amenities without risking their lives on every journey", lamented the KSO president.
He demanded an immediate overhaul of the PHC, adequate staffing, an operational ambulance, infrastructural improvements, and above all, a reliable, all-weather road and dependable power supply in the region.
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