Critical patients in Manipur's Churachandpur district need urgent intervention
Critical patients in Manipur's violence-hit Churachandpur district need urgent transport to specialist hospitals amid lack of supplies, facilities and medical professionals, a top doctor in the district told NDTV.
Those suffering from serious cardiac problems and conditions like brain haemorrhage need fast intervention, which unfortunately is impossible to get due to no proper transport, the doctor who has been overseeing health emergencies in Churachandpur said, requesting anonymity.
A helicopter service from Churachandpur that was announced by Home Minister Amit Shah in early June flew for some time and stopped. It hasn't been restarted yet.
"The helicopter service can save a lot of lives. This is the immediate priority," the doctor told NDTV.
Many patients from the Kuki-Zo tribes who suffered from critical illnesses have died in Churachandpur since they couldn't be transported to Guwahati in Assam or Aizawl in Mizoram, the doctor said.
Going to Imphal hospitals for Kuki patients is impossible due to risk of violence and road blockades.
Manipur's capital Imphal has some well-equipped hospitals, but road blockades and the risk of violence are too much of a risk for patients to attempt a drive to Imphal. An ambulance was set on fire in Imphal West's Iroisemba in early May, killing an 8-year-old child, his mother and a relative.
"The drive to Aizawl takes 12 hours to a full day, sometimes two days if the road conditions do not allow it. We request the central government to restart the helicopter service. That's the only way to take critical patients fast to good hospitals," the doctor said, explaining the problems in taking critically ill patients by road in the hilly region in the absence of the helicopter service.
In a district with population in lakhs, the number of specialist medical professionals is too low to handle the sheer number of patients awaiting treatment. Churachandpur urgently needs cardiologists, neurologists and other such doctors.
One solution amid the volatile situation that the centre can consider is to bring such doctors in a one- to two-week rotation to the district, the Churachandpur doctor told NDTV. Diagnostic centres are under a lot of strain as testing equipment need maintenance and material such a fluids and kits run out.
"Even if there is working equipment, you need someone to operate them. There is no one left," the doctor said.
Road blockades in valley areas do not allow essentials and medical supplies to reach Churachandpur and other hill districts easily. "Whatever comes through is not enough," the doctor said.
While critical patients need immediate transport, the medium to long-term solution should be to focus on creating high-quality healthcare institutions in Churachandpur, the doctor said, adding even private parties should look to create such an infrastructure.
Manipur has restored mobile internet after over four months. Over 180 have died in the ethnic clashes between the Kuki tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis following protests over the Meiteis' demand for inclusion under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.