Broken-down Dimapur District Hospital seeks resurrection

Dimapur, Jan. 12: Government-funded institutions in the state are almost always synonymous with snail-paced development and growth, and so it is no surprise that a visit to the District Hospital Dimapur (DHD) should reveal a startling condition where a large section of the building has been literally converted into a garbage dump.

It has been two years since the section of the building was demolished and since then, the hospital – commonly known as civil hospital – has been running in this condition. Though funds for construction of the demolished building have been allotted, there has been no clear reason as to why the construction has not taken place, a reliable source told Eastern Mirror.

A hospital that attends to most of the financially weak, with claims to performing maximum surgeries in Dimapur has been reduced to its current grim state.
The condition of the hospital’s AYUSH building is pitiable and with chaotic as people scramble inside a packed room, sharing common washroom with the staff trying to accommodate as much patients as possible, after the old building that accommodated surgical, medical, paediatric and prison ward was demolished in 2014.

However even after two years, there is no sign of construction as the hospital staff struggles to accommodate patients along with their caretakers to their capacity. The AYUSH building, inaugurated in 2015, ironically came as a relief to the hospital staff as the building continues to provide accommodation to patients despite the obvious inconvenience.

As per the hospital staff, it is beyond capacity of the hospital authority to construct the building (even after submitting numerous memorandums), and the only solution (for now) is to adjust the rooms available so that patients can stay in dignity during the course of their treatment. The surgical, medical, paediatric and prison ward was demolished without any alternate arrangements, lamented the hospital authorities. “After a surgery, patients need to be located at post-surgery room for preventative measure but with limited rooms it is not possible for the hospital to do so”, pointed out the hospital staff. However fortunately there have not been any cases of infection, they added.

With most of the prison cases referred to DHD, the staff said post-demolition of the old building, the hospital is struggling with security measures. The 12 cabin rooms have been reduced to eight, including the hospital auditorium which functions as patients’ ward, while the authorities struggle with the adjustment.

The new Out Patient Department (OPD) complex which was inaugurated in 2016 brought a temporary relief for the hospital management hoping that the second phase of construction will take place soon. But much to the disappointment of the hospital management, the demolished wards continue to be neglected – rather turned into a dumping site without any sign for construction.

Funding for state-run hospitals come through National Health Mission (NHM), and though the fund – according to the hospital authorities – has already been provided, the lackadaisical approach of the concerned authorities has left the patients in despair even as the DHD receives patients even from Assam ‘because of the low cost (of treatment) and experienced doctors available.’

Though an NGO by the name of ‘Makeover’ with the district administration had extended assistance by donating eight water storage tanks with pipeline connection and one drinking water filter, the hospital is in utmost need for restoration, asserted the medical superintendent of DHD, Dr CW Tungoe.

“The hospital is all scattered, disorganised including the administration building that is being provided for accommodation and DHD can no longer run with adjustment,” he said. The hospital staff hopes that the second phase of construction is taken up at the earliest, and completed by this year so the patients can ‘live in dignity’ during their stay at DHD.