Dimapur Congress flags alleged mismanagement in Health department

DIMAPUR — Dimapur District Congress Committee (DCC) on Thursday accused the Health and Family Welfare department of large-scale mismanagement, citing delays, poor construction quality, and non-functional health facilities across Dimapur, Niuland, and Chümoukedima.

At a press conference held in Dimapur, the DCC said that it had filed an RTI application on June 29, 2025, and received a reply on July 22.

Unsatisfied with the response, the committee filed an appeal before the First Appellate Authority and later met the department, but claimed that key issues remained unaddressed.

According to DCC president Kutoho Chishi, the committee decided to make the matter public after finding discrepancies in the RTI reply regarding the upgrade of School of Nursing to a College of Nursing at District Hospital Dimapur, a project valued at INR 6 crore.

Although the work was scheduled for completion in 2022–2023, he said that the facility remains unfinished in 2025, with physical verification not aligning with the stated 65% completion.

According to Chishi, the contractor claimed to have followed departmental instructions, while the principal director reportedly expressed unawareness of the details. He also described the construction quality as “very poor.”

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On the construction of Integrated Public Health Laboratory at District Hospital Dimapur, estimated at INR 99 lakh, Chishi said that the DCC found the work unsatisfactory and alleged the use of substandard materials.

He further pointed to staff quarters built at Kuhuboto PHC in 2021 that remain unoccupied because the area floods during the rainy season, stating that such projects reflect wastage of public money.

DCC general secretary Kumjimong raised concerns over non-functional sub-centres in Dimapur, Niuland, and Chümoukedima, stating that many have no doctors and remain closed.

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He claimed that the Unity Village Sub-Centre, built in 2023, has been taken over by private individuals due to a dispute over job assurances allegedly given to landowners who donated land.

The issue, he said, arose from alleged assurances by the department that 4th-grade jobs would be given to landowners who donated land free of cost. The department later clarified that such appointments could only be made through proper examination procedures.

As a result, the landowners are demanding the jobs they believe were promised, and the sub-centre remains closed, though the department has reportedly taken up the matter.

A similar situation was reported in Relan village, where the sub-centre built in 2016 has yet to open. In Akito village, he said that a sub-centre sanctioned in 2019 continues to operate from a tourism building as it has no dedicated facility.

He questioned the department for making what he described as false job promises to landowners and urged it to address the issues responsibly instead of misleading the public.

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He further alleged that unauthorised buildings were being constructed within the Niuland PHC premises, with the department reportedly unaware of who was responsible.

On medicine procurement, he claimed discrepancies in pricing and vendor selection, alleging that the same vendor was repeatedly chosen and questioned how suppliers based in Zunheboto were supplying medicines to Dimapur.

Andrew Humtsoe, general secretary (media), said that the DCC found that the blood bank at District Hospital Dimapur was charging around INR 450–500 per blood test, which he described as unaffordable for many patients.

He suggested lowering the rate to around INR 150. He also questioned the criteria for appointing Officers on Special Duty and whether an OSD can serve multiple departments.

According to the DCC, it had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the department but did not receive a response, with officials citing a pen-down strike.

The committee has now given the department ten more days to reply and warned that it will stage a dharna outside District Hospital Dimapur if the response remains unsatisfactory.

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