All Tangkhul Medicos Association (ATMA) conducted a one day consultative meeting, on Patient-Doctor relationship and healthcare concerns of Ukhrul and Kamjong Districts, today at District Hospital, Ukhrul.
Medical superintendent, District Hospital Ukhrul expressed his concern on how there are many problems and difficulties the health workers are facing. He said that there is shortage of staff and are functioning at 50% staff strength. A hospital cannot be run by just the Doctors and Nurses, they need technicians and other staff.
Dr Reisangmi Raikhan further said that many health workers are hesitant to come to Ukhrul as there is lack of support and love from the community. He urge that the Health workers especially coming from other community should be treated with love and respect because at the end of the day, the benefit is for our own community. Some patients are said to be very ungrateful even after getting the best possible treatment. He added that the hospital environment is awful and there is no security for the health workers. People are said to often results to unruly culture.
In conclusion, Dr Raikhan said, “Who would like to work or stay when there is no security? Community Leaders should correct this problem and there should be no communication gap between the CSOs and District Hospital Authority for cohesiveness and successful functioning of hospital”.
During the discussion hour, Somatai Machinao, President TMNL, informed that during their visit to various CHCs and PHCs in Ukhrul and Kamjong Districts they found out that the CHCs and PHCs seem to exist just for giving first aid. Otherwise, there is no infrastructure that the health workers can give treatment to patients. Blood bank facilities should function at the earliest so that the youth can donate blood to save lives, he added.
Dr. Soreingam Ragui, while talking about safety of the healthcare workers said that according to Epidemic Act 2005, there is a provision for giving punishment to those individuals who assault or harass the health workers. There is The Manipur Medicare service personnel and medicare service institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2015, (Manipur Act no. 3 of 2016). He said, “We can utilize this Act.”
During the meeting Dr Pamza Luikham gave report on COVID statistic of Ukhrul District 2021 beginning from March 23, 2021 onwards. From the time vaccine was made available in Ukhrul District, 19% have received their first vaccination till date.
Furthermore, he informed that COVID Hospital at TK Woodland was activated on August 11, 2021. It is found that 79% of the patients at TK Woodland are unvaccinated. It is also found that 89% patients are unvaccinated and 10% have taken their first dose, while 4% have taken both second dose at COVID Care Centre, Phungreitang Ukhrul. 90% of patients admitted at Isolation Ward at Ukhrul District Hospital are unvaccinated. Out of 29 persons that have died in Ukhrul District Hospital, only one person is found to have vaccinated.
According to a research done, it is found that every 8 person out of 10 positive cases were unvaccinated, 9 out of 10 patients admitted to hospital are unvaccinated. There are 2 fatality cases out of every 100 persons and 9 out of 10 persons of every death in Districts are among unvaccinated.