The Kangpokpi District Hospital is currently grappling with shortage of staff amid increasing number of patients with high fever, typhoid and other cases, mostly children, keeping the hospital authority, the civil society organisations, and the patients’ caretakers on tenterhooks.
As more and more patients flood the district hospital over the past few weeks and with no more beds available at present, some were even seen adjusting in the emergency rooms and other available spaces.
Many patients were referred to other health centres, including Kangpokpi Christian Hospital (Mission Hospital) while some were compelled to return for home treatment.
Concerning the situation, representatives of CSOs Kangpokpi, including KSO Sadar, and TSA Sadar Hills led by vice president Kuki Inpi Kangpokpi Thangminlen Kipgen visited the district hospital and met with the hospital authority to take stock of the situation.
The medical superintendent said the hospital authority has been grappling with staff shortages since long despite repeated appeals to the authorities concerned.
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As per MGEL sanctioned post, there should be 14 staff nurses but only four staff nurses are posted at present. Among them, one has been posted at PHSC Parsain under PHC Kalapahar as CHO under NHM, he said.
With the increasing patient turnout at OPD, IPD, and Emergency, only three staff nurses and four frontline health workers (FLW) cannot deliver good quality healthcare services to the public 24x7, he said, adding the hospital requires at least eight staff nurses immediately.
Besides the shortages of staff nurses, of three sanctioned LDC posts, none were posted at present and one ambulance driver of two sanctioned posts is posted. There is also no chowkidar despite one sanctioned post, and only one sweeper is available despite two sanctioned posts while only one Grave-IV is available despite three sanctioned posts.
The chief medical officer Kangpokpi recently wrote again to the director of Health Services, stating that the District Hospital/CHC Kangpokpi, despite being a referral centre for other PHCs/PHSCs/HWCs of the district has been facing immense inconveniences in discharging good quality healthcare services to the public, owing to lack of manpower and requested the health director for posting adequate health staff.
Unfortunately, the ICU ward in the district hospital inaugurated recently is yet to be made functional owing to shortage of manpower.
The CSOs team also visited the overflowing patients at the hospital accompanied by medical superintendent of the district hospital, Dr Paotinlal Haokip.
Thangminlen Kipgen said that apart from the acute shortage of manpower, there are many other shortages in terms of infrastructures in the hospital. Not a single functional fan is available in all the wards during this scorching summer in the hospital.
He also said that there are also some minor and major repairs urgently needed in the hospital. A non-functioning toilet in the hospital is also one major concern that needs to be urgently addressed.
The lives of many people are at stake as the district hospital authority is grappling with shortage in staff amid the surging number of patients at the hospital with various cases, he added.
He appealed to the Health minister and authorities concerned to expedite the request of the hospital authority which they made through the proper channel and initiate action at the earliest for the welfare of the people.
The CSO leaders also met the deputy commissioner Kangpokpi and raised the matter regarding the acute shortages of staff in the hospital and various other issues. The DC assured to look into the matter after due consultation with the chief medical officer.
